10 best enzymes for digestion

If you believe advertising, no feast should go without enzyme preparations that improve digestion. Not trying to urge readers to moderation - after all, no one is perfect - should notice: the main indication for taking enzymes is the lack of function of various parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Abuse of enzymes for digestion in the absence of evidence may lead to the fact that the body stops producing them. We present to your attention the rating of the best enzymes for digestion.

What are enzymes and why are they needed?

Only relatively small molecules are able to penetrate the blood through the intestinal wall: amino acids, monosaccharides (glucose, fructose), fatty acids. All this - the elementary "bricks" of more complex substances: proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Enzymes break down complex substances into simple "bricks":

1. amylase - complex carbohydrates;
2. lipases - fats;
3. proteases - proteins.

Digestion, that is, the splitting of complex substances into simple ones, begins in the mouth, where saliva amylase is activated. In the stomach, where the medium is acidic, the activity of amylase is suspended, the food is processed by the proteolytic enzyme pepsin, which can only work in an acidic environment. At the exit from the stomach (in the antrum) the acidic environment of the food is neutralized, and the food lump passes into the duodenum - the initial section of the small intestine. Here it is processed by bile, which emulsifies fat - turns it into a suspension of the smallest droplets. So the area of ​​contact of fats with lipases increases. In addition to lipases, amylases and proteases work in the duodenum. This complex of enzymes is produced by the pancreas, so its analogue contained in drugs is called pancreatin (lat.pancreas - pancreas).

If for some reason the enzymes are not produced enough or they cannot be active (for example, the proteins in the stomach do not split when the acidity of the gastric juice is reduced), the digestion process is disturbed. Not fully processed food components begin to irritate the intestinal walls, causing diarrhea, pain, bloating. After half an hour - an hour after eating, there is a sharp urge to go to the toilet, the excreted feces become abundant, foamy, have a sharp unpleasant odor.

Often, this problem occurs in chronic pancreatitis, when cells that produce enzymes die under the influence of inflammation. Another common cause is disruption of the normal flow of bile due to biliary dyskinesia or after removal of the gallbladder. Not enough emulsified fat is less in contact with enzymes and worse splits.

Top Digestion Enzymes Rating

Nomination	a place	Name of product	price
The best enzymes for adults	1	Mikrasim	635 ₽
	2	Mezim	66 ₽
	3	Festal	123 ₽
	4	Acidin-Pepsin	80 ₽
The best enzymes for children	1	Kolif drops for children	1 573 ₽
	2	Creon Micro 5000	1 224 ₽
	3	Lactazar	413 ₽
THE BEST VEGAN ENZYMES	1	Now Foods, Plant Enzymes	1750 ₽
	2	Pepfiz	-
	3	Vegan enzymes	390 ₽

The best enzymes for adults

In this ranking group, we collected the most popular digestive enzymes suitable for adults.

Mikrasim

Rating: 4.9

Pancreatic pancreatic enzyme complex - containing amylases, lipases and proteases; placed in microspheres, which, in turn, are packed in capsules. The capsule dissolves in the stomach, the microspheres are evenly mixed with the food lump, passing into the intestine and already there dissolve under the action of an alkaline medium, releasing enzymes. Thus, the enzymes are evenly mixed with food and act as efficiently as possible.

Clinical recommendations for the treatment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency separately stipulate that microspheres or microtablets, which are activated only in the lumen of the small intestine, are the only effective form of supplying enzymes to the intestine.

Take the capsule three times a day with meals. Considering the form of drug release, the capsules cannot be chewed - if the shell of the microspheres is damaged, the enzymes are inactivated in the acidic environment of the stomach.

If the drug is used occasionally with overeating, a dosage of 10,000 IU is sufficient. In other cases, the means must be prescribed by the doctor, he will determine the required dose.

Possible analogues are Hermital, Creon.

Mezim

Rating: 4.6

Economy option: all the same extract of the pancreas of animals - Pancreatin, as in the previous tool, but placed in tablets with an enteric-coated shell. Enzymes are not inactivated in the stomach, they begin to act only when they enter the intestine, but given that the tablet needs time to dissolve, it is more difficult to talk about the effective interaction of enzymes with food (as we remember, the activity of enzymes is higher, the higher their contact area with food suspension ).

However, given the fivefold difference in price with the previous medicine from our rating, it is not surprising that the drug has many fans. Nevertheless, we would recommend it primarily to healthy people, whose quality of life is not too dependent on the effectiveness of the medication taken.

Possible analogues - Penzital.

Festal

Rating: 4.5

And again pancreatin, that is amylase, lipase and protease. In combination with the hemicellulase enzyme that breaks down fiber (normally, the normal intestinal microflora produces it) and components of bile.

It is because of the complex of bile acids that we included the tool in the ranking of the best enzymes for digestion. They facilitate the absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins and correct biliary insufficiency - a reduced activity of the gallbladder or its complete absence. Therefore, among the indications for the use of festal, in addition to traditional pancreatic insufficiency and overeating for enzyme preparations, there are also pathologies of the liver and biliary tract:

1. alcohol and toxic diffuse liver damage, cirrhosis;
2. biliary dyskinesia,
3. cholecystitis,
4. condition after cholecystectomy.

Hemicellulase, splitting fiber, helps reduce bloating and flatulence. characteristic of dysbiotic states.

Possible analogues: Enzistal.

Acidin-Pepsin

Rating: 4.4

If all other means of our rating are created in order to support the functioning of the small intestine, this preparation contains a complex of enzymes to improve digestion in the stomach.

As already mentioned, this is where the first stage of protein digestion occurs.But in order for gastric proteases to work, an acidic environment is necessary. With atrophic gastritis due to prolonged inflammation, the glands that produce both enzymes and gastric juice die. There is a lack of digestion in the stomach with heaviness after eating, rapid saturability, and belching with air. Frequent and manifestations of dumping syndrome caused by hitting a large amount of insufficiently processed food in the intestine:

1. sudden weakness after eating, until fainting;
2. drowsiness,
3. pallor,
4. sweating
5. hiccups

In such a situation, the doctor may prescribe Acidin-pepsin.

Contains a complex of gastric enzymes (pepsin) and betaine hydrochloride. Pepsin is an extract from the mucous membrane of the pig stomach. Betaine hydrochloride, getting into the water, hydrolyzes (decomposes) with the release of hydrochloric acid, providing an optimal environment for the action of pepsin.

Two tablets need to be dissolved in half a glass of water and drink during a meal.

The best enzymes for children

Medicines for children have their own characteristics. Firstly, it is forbidden to give tablets to children under 3 years old, and capsules up to 5 years old, it is believed that only at this age a child is able to swallow the medicine without choking. Children do not like to drink pills. And if, say, for the antipyretic, you can use the "grandmother's" method, stirring the crushed medicine into jam, with enzymes for digestion, such a method of circulation is unacceptable - if the shell of the tablet with pancreatic enzymes collapses in the stomach, the active ingredient will lose its activity.

Moreover, for children it is not the problems with the pancreas that are more relevant, but the lack of a single enzyme - lactase - without which the baby is unable to properly digest the disaccharide contained in milk - lactose.

This is manifested by a sharp abdominal distension, bubbling, colic, frequent abundant stools. And if an adult who does not tolerate milk can simply not drink it, then the child, especially the breast one, will not do without milk. Of course, there are lactose-free mixtures, but they are still not breast milk, and they are not cheap. That is why we start ranking the best enzymes for children with a drug containing lactase.

Kolif drops for children

Rating: 4.8

This is a dietary supplement recommended for children suffering from lactase deficiency. Available in a bottle with a dropper. 1 dose of the drug - 4 drops. Before you feed the baby, you need to strain 2 to 3 teaspoons of milk, stir the medicine in them, give the baby to the spoon and continue to give the breast as usual. To the baby who is on artificial feeding, 4 drops of drug are parted on all volume of the mix intended for one feeding.

The medicine and the milk diluted with it cannot be frozen or heated above 37 degrees.

As a rule, by half a year in children suffering from lactase deficiency, the production of its own enzyme is getting better. therefore, by this age one can smoothly reduce the amount of money. But sometimes the problem remains for life.

Possible analogues: Baby - Doc.

Creon Micro 5000

Rating: 4.7

And this medicine is necessary for children with impaired pancreatic function. If in adults it is usually the result of chronic inflammation, then in babies usually a manifestation of congenital abnormality is cystic fibrosis.

Contains pancreatin (amylase, lipase, protease) in minimicrospheres, which are not placed in capsules, but simply filled in a bottle with a measuring spoon. In this form, they can be added to any acidic food. non-chewing: yogurts, applesauce, for babies - in expressed breast milk. In the stomach, the granules remain intact, mixing with the entire volume of the food lump, and once in the intestine, they begin to work as intended.

Under no circumstances should the drug be chewed.

Lactazar

Rating: 4.3

This is another dietary supplement containing lactase, this time in capsules. Therefore, you can only give a remedy to children older than 5 years at the rate of 1 capsule per 100 ml of milk.

The best enzymes for vegans

As readers have probably noticed, most digestive enzymes are extracts of the pancreas or stomach of animals. And people who, for ethical reasons, refuse animal products, are left with a choice: to abandon principles or health. Especially for vegetarians and vegans, there are drugs based on plant-derived enzymes.

It should be noted that these funds are not included in the clinical guidelines, therefore, those wishing to replace animal-prescribed animal enzymes with a vegetable are at your own risk.

Now Foods, Plant Enzymes

Rating: 4.2.

The complex of enzymes of plant origin. Interestingly, in addition to traditional proteases, lipases and amylases, it contains acid-resistant proteolytic enzymes that improve digestion in the stomach, lactase, cellulase, splitting cellulose, as well as plant complexes papain and bromelain. The latter two are credited with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects (recall: papain is the basis of the well-known drug "Wobenzym"), but the medical community has not come to the unequivocal opinion.

Take 1 capsule at each meal.

Pepfiz

Rating: 4.1

Coated tablets. They contain the proteolytic enzyme papain, simethicone (reduces flatulence in the intestines), fungal diastase (amylase mixture). That is, it breaks down protein and carbohydrates, does not affect fats. Therefore, we would not recommend it to people suffering from chronic pancreatic pathology, in which a violation of the digestion of fats comes to the fore. But the tool may well manifest itself when overeating and for the prevention of bloating due to an excess of plant fiber in food.

1 - 2 tablets must be dissolved in half a glass of water and consumed with meals.

Vegan enzymes

Rating: 3.9

Dietary supplement of Russian production. It contains bromelain, papain, amylase and gingerol - a compound contained in ginger root that promotes a more active secretion of gastric juice and improves motility. In addition, rejuvenating and anti-inflammatory effects are attributed to gingerol.

Despite the fact that the instruction to the product indicates the lipolytic effect of bromelain and papain, it should be noted that it is much lower than the protease activity. Therefore, again, contributing to the digestion of proteins and carbohydrates, the drug leaves "unattended" fats.

Another disadvantage is the relatively high price: three days of use (10 tablets) cost more than 200 rubles.

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Attention! This rating is subjective, is not advertising and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you should consult with a specialist.