Digestive enzyme supplements

[PyramidHead]

My body doesn't like to digest too much fat, but I'm trying to get more of my energy from fat and much less from carbohydrates. Without going into too much detail, I suspect a lot of the fat I eat doesn't stay in my system for too long. My wife suggested I take a look at digestive enzyme supplements, many of which include a lipase to help break down fat. Now, my understanding is that most fat digestion happens in the small intestine, after the fat has been sitting in the stomach for a while. But most enzyme supplements are just regular, non-enteric coated pills, so their contents are most likely deposited in the stomach. Will they do any good if that's the case, or will they be broken down before they can be beneficial further in the gut?

 

[Peez]

My body doesn't like to digest too much fat, but I'm trying to get more of my energy from fat and much less from carbohydrates. Without going into too much detail, I suspect a lot of the fat I eat doesn't stay in my system for too long. My wife suggested I take a look at digestive enzyme supplements, many of which include a lipase to help break down fat. Now, my understanding is that most fat digestion happens in the small intestine, after the fat has been sitting in the stomach for a while. But most enzyme supplements are just regular, non-enteric coated pills, so their contents are most likely deposited in the stomach. Will they do any good if that's the case, or will they be broken down before they can be beneficial further in the gut?

I am not a nutritionist (nor do I play one on TV), but I suspect that you are correct: Enzymes are typically proteins, and proteins start to be digested in the stomach. That being said there are exceptions (pepsin is an enzyme that functions in the stomach).

Another aspect of fat digestion is bile, which emulsifies fat and thus makes the lipase work much more efficiently. Bile is produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder.

Peez

 

[PyramidHead]

An interesting wrinkle is that some products contain enzymes secreted by fungi, and these are able to function in a wider range of pH than mammalian enzymes. Animal-sourced enzymes tend to break down more easily at low pH. I'm not sure how proteases fit in. Proteases are somewhat specific, so if there aren't any proteases in the stomach capable of breaking down a certain type of enzyme then it should probably be able to function. Funny enough, speaking of bile, a lot of these supplements actually just have ox bile in them.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

In the various hunts for what ails me the doc tried pancreatic enzymes. Ordinary capsules, no apparent special coating but obviously they were meant to deliver them where needed. Since this came from the medical community rather than the health food community I would figure they knew it would get where it was needed.

 

[PyramidHead]

How did those work for what was ailing you?

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Do all fats cause a problem, both plant based like nuts, and animal based?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Has this been getting progressively worse over time? Gall bladder issues?

 

[PyramidHead]

This isn't a perennial problem, no, it's just a consequence of my trying to adopt the Swedish-style low carb high fat diet. It's probably just more fat than my body is used to digesting, so I was thinking it might need a little help from supplements. I might pull the trigger and just try one out.