Digestive Enzymes Side Effects

Enzymes are proteins that carry out catalytic reactions within the body and help in breaking down complex molecules like proteins, fats and carbohydrates into simple molecules. There are three types of enzymes in the body namely, food enzymes, metabolic enzymes and digestive enzymes. Food enzymes are those that are ingested into the body from the food we eat and drink. Metabolic enzymes are those that help in carrying out chemical reactions within the body and digestive enzymes are those that aid in the process of digestion. In this article we will concentrate more on digestive enzymes and the side effects of digestive enzymes.

What Do Digestive Enzymes Do?
Digestive enzymes are complex proteins that aid the digestive system by carrying out chemical changes in the food ingested. Digestive enzymes need specific pH and temperature to become chemically active. There are three classes of digestive enzymes that are derived from the pancreas; plant derived and fungal derived:

• Proteolytic Enzyme: These help in digestion of proteins.
• Lipases: These enzymes digest fat.
• Amylases: These enzymes work on the digestion of carbohydrates.

List of Digestive Enzymes
The following enzymes help the digestive system to function efficiently:

• Acid Proteases
• Maltodextrin
• Proteases
• Amylase
• Amyloglucosidase
• Cellulase
• Lactase
• Invertase
• Maltase
• Lipase
• Papain
• Bromelain

Why are Digestive Enzymes Prescribed?
Doctors prescribe digestive enzymes to people who are suffering from malabsorption of nutrients, due to pancreatic insufficiency and cystic fibrosis. They are prescribed to improve absorption of food, reduce gas, bloating and fullness after high fat meals. These digestive enzymes are also prescribed to people with celiac disease or Chron's disease, people with indigestion.

It is also thought that digestive enzymes help in reducing allergy symptoms that are triggered by partially digested proteins. They are also thought to be helpful in extending the survival rate in patients suffering from pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic enzymes are also thought to improve the immune system of people suffering from shingles. However, there are very little evidence to support these digestive enzymes uses. Read more on benefits of digestive enzymes.

Side Effects of Digestive Enzymes
There are certain digestive enzymes side effects that may be experienced by the user. Let us know more in detail about the various digestive enzymes side effects. The digestive enzyme side effects may be seen for a few days after you begin to take them. It is just the body's way of adjusting to the dose of enzymes. The digestive enzyme side effects that are commonly seen are as follows:

• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Stomach Ache
• Nausea
• Bloating
• Gas
• Loss of Appetite
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Dizziness

The proteolytic digestive enzymes although aid in digestion of proteins, they destroy the natural lipases in the body. This causes problems in digestion of fats. Children who are suffering from cystic fibrosis, are given pancreatic digestive enzymes. These pancreatic digestive enzymes have been found to damage the large intestine and increase the risk of fibrosing colonopathy. This has been reported in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology Nutrition. Enteric-coated enzymes in low doses also cause side-effects leading to colonopathy. If you are using Wayfarin, an anticoagulant to treat venous thrombosis and atrial fibrillation, consult your doctor before using digestive enzymes. The digestive enzymes interact negatively with the anticoagulant and cause side effects.

Thus, it is very important to consult your doctor, if you are already on some drug or medication, to avoid digestive enzyme side effects. Use these digestive enzymes under medical guidance as the doctor knows best which dose and digestive supplements are best for you. Most of the time digestive enzyme side-effects are very mild, but one should show caution when using them.