Digestive Enzyme Complex · 60 capsules

What are digestive enzymes?

Enzymes are endogenous compounds that serve as catalysts for countless essential bodily processes and without which many processes in the human body would not work. They enable complex biochemical processes to take place and help the body to break down a wide variety of compounds, including complex food components. There are two broad categories of endogenous enzymes. Metabolic enzymes, on the one hand, are essential for maintaining the vital functions of the organs and metabolism. Digestive en zymes, on the other hand, are responsible for breaking down food into smaller molecules so that the body can absorb and utilize them better. Without these digestive enzymes, the body would not be able to break down the food we eat every day into its chemical components. Proteins, fatty acids and short-chain carbohydrates, which are produced by enzymatic breakdown, can thus be absorbed by the body via the intestine. In addition, enzymes are also responsible for isolating micronutrients contained in food, such as vitamins, minerals and trace elements, from the food and making them usable for the body. Studies have shown that a lack of certain digestive enzymes leads to impaired digestion in test subjects. Depending on the type of deficiency, this resulted in flatulence, diarrhea, greasy stools, stomach and intestinal pain or other digestive problems (1). What is even more serious is that in extreme cases, such a deficiency can also result in an undersupply of essential nutrients to the body. This in turn has led to considerable health problems in various studies (2).

Why are additional digestive enzymes in the form of supplements useful?

There are a number of factors that can make it difficult for the body to produce sufficient amounts of endogenous enzymes. These include factors such as environmental toxins, stress, elevated levels, free radicals and an unhealthy diet (3). In addition to this, the body's own enzyme production continuously decreases with age, which does not exactly improve the situation. Studies have shown that a supply of concentrated digestive enzymes can ensure that the body is adequately supplied with all the enzymes that are important for digestion. This has been shown to counteract both digestive problems and an insufficient supply of essential macro- and micronutrients in test subjects (4). A further study also showed another benefit in relation to digestion. The human body uses a large proportion of its energy in digestion and all associated processes. Part of this energy is also required for the production of enzymes. A regular intake of digestive enzymes has been shown to greatly relieve the body in test subjects, who consequently had a significantly higher energy level (5).

Benefits for athletes who train hard

Digestive enzymes are also particularly interesting for athletes who train hard and especially strength athletes who want to build up a lot of muscle mass. This group usually requires large amounts of food energy to cover their increased need for nutrients and calories. This can easily push natural digestion to its limits. Studies have shown that additional digestive enzymes can help here, ensuring that the test subjects' bodies can process and absorb even significantly increased amounts of food without any problems. In these studies, digestive enzymes improved protein digestion and increased protein absorption (6,7).

Other potential health benefits

The potential health benefits of digestive enzymes are so diverse that it is almost impossible to fully describe them here. Here is a brief overview: digestive enzymes have been shown in studies to improve blood lipid levels (8), help with inflammation of the gut (9,10), improve gut flora by increasing the amount of healthy gut bacteria and killing harmful bacteria (11,12) and, according to scientific studies, have an antimicrobial effect and promote the function of the immune system in test subjects (13,14).

What is the active ingredient matrix of GN Digestive Enzyme Complex?

When compiling the formula of our Digestive Enzyme Complex, we deliberately ensured a balanced composition of different ingredients, which is made up of the following enzymes:

DIGEZYME®

DIGEZYME® is an innovative, patented blend of the most important digestive enzymes for fat, protein, carbohydrates, complex plant fibers and lactose, which have been combined in an optimal ratio to create an optimal synergistic enzyme matrix. DIGEZYME® consists of the digestive enzymes papain , bromelain, lipase, cellulase, protease and lactase.

Papain has long been used as a digestive aid and is a naturally occurring enzyme found mainly in papaya, which also gave the enzyme its name (15). Bromelain (Ananas comosus) was discovered in 1957 and is found in the fruit and trunk of the pineapple tree (Ananas comosus). Bromelain is a group of proteolytic enzymes. Proteolytic enzymes, also known as proteases, are protein-digesting enzymes that can break down proteins into amino acids (16). Bromelain has a number of potential health benefits, ranging from aiding weight loss to boosting the immune system and having a positive effect on the cardiovascular system. All of these effects have been observed in test subjects in various studies. Lipase is an enzyme that is responsible for the digestion of fats. It breaks down dietary fats into individual fatty acids, which can be absorbed into the bloodstream via the intestinal wall. Insufficient lipase activity has been shown in scientific studies to hinder the absorption of essential fat-soluble vitamins in test subjects (17). In addition, according to researchers, lipase relieves the gallbladder and liver and can improve the absorption of protein from fatty foods such as meat and fish. Protease is responsible for breaking down complex dietary proteins into simple amino acids, as well as di- and tripeptides, which can be absorbed into the bloodstream via the intestine. According to scientific studies, a deficiency of this enzyme has often been the cause of flatulence and digestive problems in test subjects (18). Amylase breaks down complex carbohydrates contained in food, such as starch, into simple sugars that can be absorbed by the body. Cellulase breaks down plant fibers found in fruits and vegetables into nutrients that can be used by the body. Supplementation with cellulase is particularly interesting for all those who react to the consumption of fruit and vegetables with digestive problems and flatulence. Studies have shown that cellulase can bring about an improvement in people with these problems (19). Last but not least, lactase is the enzyme required for the digestion of milk sugar (lactose). Around 70 % of all people suffer from insufficient endogenous lactase production, which results in a more or less pronounced intolerance to dairy products. This can manifest itself in the form of severe flatulence, among other things. In studies, however, people suffering from lactose intolerance were able to consume dairy products without any problems if they also took lactase (20).

Digestive enzymes are incredibly important for the human body. Without these enzymes, we would not be able to absorb the nutrients from our food and would be faced with a whole range of problems. With this in mind, GN has developed Digestive Enzyme Complex, a supplement that supports enzyme balance and can take digestion to the next level. By combining different enzymes, all nutrient groups are optimally covered enzymatically, so you get the support you need. Digestive Enzyme Complex from GN Laboratories - because in the end only results count.