Digestive enzymes are the easiest supplement category in which to sell an impressive-looking number that means nothing at all. They are also, once you know the one thing to look for, one of the easiest to shop well.
I sell an enzyme complex, so weigh that. What I can offer is the check that most sellers would rather you did not make.
The check that decides it: units, not milligrams
An enzyme is a catalyst. What matters is how much work it does, not what it weighs — and two preparations of identical weight can differ several-fold in activity.
So activity is measured in its own units, a different one for each enzyme:
- Amylase (acts on starch) — SKB or DU
- Protease (acts on protein) — HUT
- Lipase (acts on fat) — FIP, or simply “units”
- Bromelain (from pineapple) — GDU
- Papain (from papaya) — USP units
If a label gives you milligrams and no units, you cannot compare it with anything. “1,000mg enzyme complex” looks generous and tells you nothing whatsoever about what is in the capsule.
Activity testing costs money — every batch must be assayed, and printing a figure means committing to hitting it. That is why fewer labels carry it than should. We have explained each unit in full here.
Check two: plant, fungal or animal?
Pancreatin is extracted from pig or cattle pancreas. It works, it has a long history, and it is unsuitable for vegetarians and vegans. It is also pH sensitive — pancreatic enzymes evolved for the small intestine, which is why animal-derived products are often enteric-coated to survive the stomach.
Plant and fungal enzymes are produced by fermentation, or come directly from fruit in the case of bromelain and papain. They are generally active across a wider pH range, so they can start work earlier without a coating, and they suit vegans.
Neither is automatically better. But a label should tell you which you are buying, and many do not.
Check three: how many proteases?
A small detail that separates a considered formula from a cheap one.
Different proteases work best at different pH levels. A formula with a single protease covers one part of the journey; a formula with several covers more of it. Ours has three, at 540, 48 and 23.9 HUT respectively.
If a label lists “protease” once with no unit, you are being told very little.
Check four: is lipase actually in there?
Lipase acts on fat and is the most commonly skimped enzyme in the category. Check it is present, and check it has a number next to it.
Check five: betaine hydrochloride — and its warning
Many enzyme formulas include betaine hydrochloride, because proteases generally prefer acidic conditions. It is not an enzyme; it is an acidic salt form of betaine.
Because it is acidic, a product containing it should not be taken if peptic ulcers are present. That warning belongs on the label — and if a product contains betaine HCl without carrying it, that tells you something about the operation behind it.
A good label also states both figures: the weight of betaine hydrochloride and the amount of betaine it provides. Ours gives 145mg providing 110.58mg.
Check six: does the seller stay within the rules?
This is worth knowing before you shop, because it will change what you notice.
Digestive enzymes carry no authorised health claims in Great Britain. Neither do the botanicals that usually accompany them — fennel, caraway, peppermint, ginger, chamomile.
So a product promising to relieve bloating, ease digestion or settle your stomach is operating outside the rules. Bloating in particular is a symptom, and no food supplement may claim to treat one.
That gives you a clean signal. A seller who reaches for symptom language in a category with none available has decided the rules are optional — and enzyme quality depends entirely on things you cannot see, like batch assay and storage. Those are exactly the corners you do not want cut.
What an honest enzyme seller can give you instead is numbers you can check: the enzyme, the weight, the activity, the source. That is the whole basis for choosing well here.
Check seven: with the meal, not before
Enzymes act on food, so they need to arrive with it. Our label says 1 or 2 capsules with each main meal, and a label specifying timing at all is a small sign that someone thought about the format.
Our recommendation
Plant-Based Digestive Enzymes declares every one of its seven enzyme preparations with its activity units:
- Amylase — 45mg, providing 2250 SKB
- Protease 4.5 — 10.8mg, providing 540 HUT
- Lipase — 6.6mg, providing 330 units
- Protease — 4.78mg, providing 23.9 HUT
- Bromelain — 3mg, providing 6 GDU
- Papain — 0.15mg, providing 0.3 USP units
- Protease 3 — 0.03mg, providing 48 HUT
Plus betaine hydrochloride 145mg (providing 110.58mg betaine), and eight botanicals declared individually: turmeric root 421mg providing 20mg curcuminoids, alfalfa 50mg, apple cider vinegar 30mg, and caraway seed, chamomile flower, fennel seed, ginger root and peppermint leaf at 20mg each.
90 capsules at £24.99. Vegan, made in the UK to GMP standards. Taken with each main meal.
Every figure on that list can be compared against another label — which is the point, and the reason we print them.
Do not take this product if peptic ulcers are present. Contains bromelain (from pineapple) and papain (from papaya). Always read the label. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
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