What Are Digestive Enzymes, and How Do They Work?

The digestive process is actually quite complex. In order to properly absorb nutrients from the food you eat, digestive enzymes help break down food. Without them, the body can become deficient in certain nutrients. 

You may be wondering if you need to take digestive enzymes. Only people with digestive enzyme deficiencies need to take digestive enzyme supplements. But there’s some early research that shows it may be beneficial for other conditions, too. Let’s take a closer look at how digestive enzymes work and who benefits from these types of supplements. 

What are digestive enzymes and what do they do?

Digestive enzymes are substances produced and released by several organs, including the mouth, stomach, pancreas, and small intestine. Even when you’re thinking about food, your body begins working on the breakdown process. 

When you start to chew, digestive enzymes in your saliva start breaking down your food. And after swallowing, digestive enzymes in the stomach and intestines further break down your food. Muscle contractions also play a role in that process by churning up food. 

Digestive enzymes are important because they break down food into smaller components that can be absorbed into the blood. Once in the blood, these smaller components — called nutrients — serve as vital building blocks for all structures and processes that keep your body healthy. 

There are three main digestive enzymes responsible for breaking down the macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) found in a typical diet:

1. Amylases: These help break carbohydrates into sugars. 

2. Proteases: These help break down proteins into amino acids.

3. Lipases: These help break down fats (triglycerides) into fatty acids.

Digestive enzyme deficiencies

Sometimes the body doesn’t make enough digestive enzymes. This can happen in the following conditions: 

• Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency: This occurs when the pancreas stops producing digestive enzymes. It can happen in diseases of the pancreas, such as diabetes, pancreatic cancer, cystic fibrosis, and chronic pancreatitis (long-term inflammation of the pancreas).

• Achlorhydria: This is a lack of stomach acid. It can be caused by antacid medications, hypothyroidism, and stomach cancer. 

• Genetic disorders: Sometimes people are born without pancreatic or salivary amylase. 

• Surgical procedures: During certain procedures, such as gastric bypass surgery, surgeons remove and/or rearrange some parts of the digestive tract. This can disrupt how well the body produces digestive enzymes.

Symptoms of digestive enzymes deficiencies

Without digestive enzymes, the food you eat doesn’t get broken down correctly. This means that food doesn’t pass through your digestive system comfortably. This causes symptoms like: 

• Gas 

• Bloating

• Nausea

• Abdominal pain

• Heartburn

• Diarrhea

• Weight loss

• Fatty or oily stools

• Loss of appetite

• Fatigue

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But that’s not all. Digestive enzyme deficiencies also cause problems with nutrient absorption. When you can’t absorb nutrients from your food, you’re at risk for malnutrition. This is a condition where you don’t have a proper balance of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. 

Malnutrition leads to many issues, including:

• Osteoporosis 

• Peripheral neuropathy (nerve pain in your feet)

• Anemia (low red-blood cell count) 

• Blood clotting disorders

What are the benefits of digestive enzyme supplements, and who needs them?

For those who have a deficiency, digestive enzyme supplements can help. Supplements can improve digestive symptoms and improve nutrition status. 

But first, your primary care provider will need to run tests and ask you questions about your symptoms to reach a possible diagnosis. If you’re deficient in digestive enzymes, you'll need to supplement the ones you’re missing. If there's an underlying cause for the digestive enzyme deficiency, then you’ll need treatment for that, too. This may involve stopping certain medications (such as antacids), if you’re not making enough stomach acid. 

Digestive enzymes may help with the symptoms of functional dyspepsia or irritable bowel syndrome. But more research is needed to study the use of digestive enzymes in these disorders. Often dietary changes and stress management are the first place to start.

Best digestive enzyme supplements

If you need digestive enzyme supplements, your primary care provider can recommend the best options for you.

Some digestive enzyme supplement medications include: 

• Pancreatic enzymes: These may be used for pancreatic insufficiency. Examples include prescription medications, such as pancrelipase (Creon, Zenpep). 

• Lactase: This is available over the counter (OTC) for people with lactose intolerance to take before consuming dairy. 

Digestive enzymes are available OTC as single enzyme supplements or as a combination of enzymes. They often contain one or more of the following protein digestive enzymes from either plant, animal, or fungal sources: 

• Papain from papayas

• Bromelain from pineapples

• Trypsin from certain bacteria and fungi or the pancreas of pigs

• Chymotrypsin from the pancreas of pigs or cows

• Amylase, lactase, and lipase from fungi 

Are natural supplements containing digestive enzymes good for me? 

Maybe. If you don't have a deficiency, it's hard to say. But there isn’t enough scientific evidence to prove their effectiveness and safety, with one exception: alpha-galactosidase (Beano). This OTC digestive enzyme supplement has been around for a long time. Humans can’t digest certain sugars found in beans and cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli and kale). Alpha-galactosidase helps break them down. This decreases the amount of gas that’s produced in the gut. 

Before considering which supplement to take, or if you should even take one at all, talk to a healthcare professional. Keep in mind that many symptoms of digestive enzyme deficiency could be caused by other conditions. And these conditions may need a different treatment. 

Digestive enzyme supplement side effects

Digestive enzyme supplements may seem safe because enzymes are made by the body, but taking them comes with some risk. Many digestive supplements come in a pill or tablet form, so most of their side effects occur in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. 

Side effects you may experience include: 

• Abdominal pain

• Diarrhea

• Nausea

• Loose stools

Before taking these supplements, it’s important to review where they come from. Some supplements may contain ingredients derived from animal products. If you follow a vegan diet, for example, be sure to read the label. 

Supplement ingredients may also come from specific plants or fruits, such as pineapples or papayas, which some people are allergic to. If you have a food allergy, it’s important to review the ingredients.

If you’re taking other medications, talk to your primary care provider before taking a supplement. It’s possible for supplements to interact with your other medications.

What foods naturally contain digestive enzymes? 

In their raw state, many foods contain naturally occurring digestive enzymes. These enzymes help break down nutrients in foods to help them ripen or protect them from predators, like insects.

A few foods that contain digestive enzymes include:

• Kiwis: These fruits contain actinidin, which breaks down protein.

• Oats: Oats contain lipase, which breaks down fat. 

• Honey: Honey contains amylase, which breaks down sugar.

Fermented foods don’t contain digestive enzymes. But the bacteria used to make them may promote digestion. For example, sourdough has been found to break down gluten. And the fermentation of beans can help promote protein digestion.

More research is needed to determine whether eating these foods will help with digestive issues. But they do contain fiber, which can help with overall gut health.

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Written by:

Debra Rouse, ND

Debra Rouse is a naturopathic doctor with extensive clinical experience in integrative nutrition, botanical medicine, women’s health and hormones, and lifestyle medicine. She’s an award-winning author, researcher, entrepreneur, and healthy lifestyle expert who inspires and empowers others to take charge of their self-care.

Edited by:

Karla Robinson, MD

Karla Robinson, MD, is a medical editor for GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified family physician with almost 20 years of experience in health through varied clinical, administrative, and educational roles.

Reviewed by:

Valerie Emuakhagbon, MD

Valerie Emuakhagbon, MD, is a board-certified colorectal surgeon. A native of Dallas, Texas, she completed the six-year BA/MD program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

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