Digestive Enzymes

Just wanted to follow up on this thread.

Here we are about 10 months later. I tried a couple of different brands and have settled in on a product called “Mega-Zyme”.

I’m putting away around 4-4500kcal daily, mostly meat and prot. shakes and I have to say that the enzymes have made all the difference in satiety, cramping, bloat, and how I feel after meals.

If I run out and go a few days without them, I really feel it-- I figured this out by accident. I believe that using these enzymes can be a ‘bulkers’ best friend, especially as you get bigger and require 4, 5, 6k cals of food. I think they help with all the protein shakes as well.

I think I’m utilizing more of the food as well-- which is the point!!

MaxB, LaRoyal, etc – I’m going to be starting OTC Betaine HCL/Pepsin soon as well.

Biotest: Ever think of developing a super-duper mega digestive enzyme supplement? I really just want to do one-stop shopping…

I second Steely’s recommendation. I wouldn’t be surprised if they come out with one this year from the recent articles they’ve done.

I’ve been taking Wobenzyme on and off for many years. At times I feel that it has helped me when I had certain special needs. One example of this is when I had bursitis from many years of lifting. The doctor said that there was no point in draining my elbow as the fluid would just come back. I insisted that he drain it, and I went on a heavy dose of Wobenzyme, 10 pills on an empty stomach twice per day. Short story, the fluid never came back and I’ve returned to lifting unhampered by the former bursitis.

One more point, It’s my understanding that if you’re under 40 which just about every one on T Nation is, you don’t really need to take enzymes as they’re produced in your liver. With that said I’m sure that taking a little extra won’t hurt you.

[quote]crod266 wrote:
bromelain, acidophilus, and ginger root do the trick[/quote]
And cinnamon for insulin sensitivity.

[quote]laroyal wrote:
The digestive enzyme PROTEASE
Responsible for digesting proteins in your food, which is probably one of the most difficult substances to metabolize. Because of this, protease is considered to be one of the most important enzymes that we have.

If the digestive process is incomplete, undigested protein can wind up in your circulatory system, as well as in other parts of your body.

When you take protease in higher quantities, it can help to clean up your body by removing the unwanted protein from your circulatory system. This will help to clean up your blood stream, and restore your energy and balance.

One of the tricks of an invading organism is to wrap itself in a large protein shell that the body would view as being “normal”. Large amounts of protease can help to remove this protein shell, and allow the body’s defense mechanisms can go into action. With the protective barrier down, your immune system can step in and destroy the invading organism.

Additional amounts of protease are also helpful in fighting such things as colds, flu’s, and cancerous tumor growths. Protease helps in the healing and recovery from cancer by dissolving the fibrin coating on cancer cells, and thereby giving your immune system a chance to do its job.

It can effectively shrink these tumors by helping to remove the dead and abnormal tissues, and by stimulating healthy tissue growth.[/quote]

Protease as in any enzyme that breaks down proteins into simpler substances.
Pepsin breaks peptide bonds between amino acids that make up proteins. Long fragments of amino acids are called proteoses and short fragments are called peptones.
Rennin helps solidify casein which is held so in stomach long enough for pepsin to break it down.
This is why after eating a meal high in protein you fell full for longer period.
Escaping protein is digested in the small intestine. Enzymes trypsin and chymotrypsin digest proteins into proteoses and peptones and break them into dipeptides and some of the dipeptides into single amino acids. The enzyme carboxypeptidase reduces digested proteins to amino acids. Remaining dipeptides are reduced to amino acids by the enzyme group called erepsin. Proteins are used for various purposes in the body as a structural component.

[quote]
The digestive enzyme AMYLASE
The second most important enzyme that we have, amylase is responsible for digesting carbohydrates in food. Because of this, it could be considered a natural antihistamine. Incomplete
digestion of carbohydrates has been linked to blood sugar imbalances, allergies, and asthma.

Amylase is also very effective in helping to relieve the symptoms of allergic reactions to such things as insect bites, pollen irritation, or contact with poison oak, poison ivy, or sumac.

A possible reason why some people appear to be more immune to these poisons is because of a higher amount of amylase within their bodies.[/quote]

Some carbs are first digested in the mouth by an enzyme salivary amylase which breaks down polysaccharides called dextrins into monosaccharides.
In the small intestine dextrins are broken down to disaccharide maltose by the enzyme pancreatic amylaze. Sucrose is reduced into a molecule of fructose and a molecule of glucose by the enzyme sucrase. Lactose is reduced to a molecule of glucose and a molecule of galactose by the enzyme lactase. And maltose is broken down into two molecules of glucose by the enzyme maltase.

[quote]
The digestive enzyme LIPASE
Responsible for digesting fats in food. When taken in higher quantities it will also find its way into the blood stream and help to remove excess fatty deposits from the inside of your veins and arteries. When this occurs, the arteries and veins are more open and allow the blood to flow more smoothly throughout your body.

It is well understood that clogged arteries cause a rise in blood pressure, and that this in turn leads to heart problems. Using extra lipase during the pre-digestive phase can help with overall fat control both in the stomach and in the arteries of your body.

Additional lipase can also be helpful in a weight management program, because it converts fat to energy instead of allowing it to be stored in your body.[/quote]
The enzyme pancreatic lipase hydrolyzes each fat molecule into fatty acids, glyserol and glyserides. The break down of fats is also controlled by hormones from the lymphatic and circulatory systems.
Fat molecules are later protein coated with cholesterol and phospholipids. (You talked about invading organisms being protein coated.)

[quote]
The digestive enzyme CELLULASE
Responsible for breaking down fiber. It is also an excellent antioxidant because it binds to heavy metals and other toxins and carries them out of your body.

We generally consume a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber is effective in binding to excess cholesterol and toxic material and removing them from the body. Cellulase helps with this process because it breaks down the soluble fiber and allows it to be more efficient.

Insoluble fiber provides the necessary bulk to keep the intestinal tract properly inflated, and acts as a “push broom” to keep the walls of both the small and large intestines clean.[/quote]
Cellulase is something that humans don’t produce in their bodies and it is used for energy production in fungi and bacteria.
Fiber in general goes through our gastrointestinal tract untouched only to form stool and help maintain regularity in the large intestine. High amounts of fiber are known to prevent the absorption of vitamins in the large intestine. So overeating fiber is not good. Processed food has no fiber in it so favor natural sources.

Has anyone ever had stomach issues while taking any digestive supplements? For about 6wks I was taking a probiotic (with all sorts of enzymes in there) and was going to the bathroom (read: taking a shit) about 2-3 times more then normal. Putting me in the 3-6x a day range.

I’ve been eating about 3700-4000 calories a day as well.

I stopped about 2wks ago and things have normaled out.

Just wanted to see if anyone else has ran into this issue. Dropping that much into the toilet really made bulking difficult.

[quote]B rocK wrote:
Has anyone ever had stomach issues while taking any digestive supplements? For about 6wks I was taking a probiotic (with all sorts of enzymes in there) and was going to the bathroom (read: taking a shit) about 2-3 times more then normal. Putting me in the 3-6x a day range.

I’ve been eating about 3700-4000 calories a day as well.

I stopped about 2wks ago and things have normaled out.

Just wanted to see if anyone else has ran into this issue. Dropping that much into the toilet really made bulking difficult. [/quote]

When I had stomach issues last time when I was bulking I ate diarrhea medicine. It worked though I don’t use any digestive supplements.

Is it necessary to cycle on and off with digestive enzymes? If so, what’s a good protocol to follow?

I’ve recently learned that eating raw sauerkraut (or drinking the juice from it) has vast benefits for the gastrointestinal tract. Haven’t tried it out yet but I will!

[quote]B rocK wrote:
Has anyone ever had stomach issues while taking any digestive supplements? For about 6wks I was taking a probiotic (with all sorts of enzymes in there) and was going to the bathroom (read: taking a shit) about 2-3 times more then normal. Putting me in the 3-6x a day range.

I’ve been eating about 3700-4000 calories a day as well.

I stopped about 2wks ago and things have normaled out.

Just wanted to see if anyone else has ran into this issue. Dropping that much into the toilet really made bulking difficult. [/quote]

You know, I’ve had the exact opposite experience. Since I’ve added enzymes and more recently HCL/Pepsin before meals (consuming 4-5k cals daily, 3-400g protein), I feel better after meals, have more energy, and shit smaller (pardon my french). I absolutely think I’m utilizing those nutrients more efficiently. I think I’ve leaned out a little and don’t feel so bloated and gassy after every meal.

I’m still experimenting with my HCL dosing, but right now I take around 600mg of HCL (ie. one serving per label) with every real meal (as opposed to protein shakes).

For anyone in this thread who hasn’t seen it, there’s a great discussion going on about Charles Poliquin’s claims to super-dosing (or even using) Betaine (or other) HCL digestive supplements. A GI specialist has questioned several of his (Poliquin’s) claims. The use of general digestive enzymes has come up in the discussion as well.

Good read: