The Apothecary
Digestive enzymes: what is in the bottle, how to choose one, and when to skip it
What digestive enzyme supplements contain, how to read the label, and the plain cases where you do not need one.
A digestive enzyme supplement is a capsule or tablet of the same kinds of enzymes your body already makes to break food down: amylase for starch, protease for protein and lipase for fat. You take it with a meal, as the label says.
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If you eat well and feel fine, you probably do not need one. If you want to try one, pick an enzyme blend you can read, take it with your biggest meal, and read the Before you use it note first.
Shop this article
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SOLGAR - Solgar® Digestive Enzymes – 100 Tablets
An enzyme combination for proteins, carbohydrates, starches and fats; one to three tablets a day.R334 -
METAGENICS - SpectraZyme Complete - 60 Capsules
A broad spectrum of non-animal enzymes, including acid-stable lipase and three proteases.R595 -
SOLGAR - Comfort Zone Digestive Complex – 90 Vegetable Capsules
Naturally derived enzymes with botanicals, in vegetable capsules, to support your digestive system.R729 -
SOLGAR - Bromelain 300mg - 60 Capsules
Bromelain, the protein-digesting enzyme found in pineapples, on its own.R272.90 -
NUTRILIFE - Digestezyme High Potency - 60 Capsules
Enzyme extracts with green barley grass, psyllium husk fibre and ginger root.R142
In stock online today. Free delivery over R400, or collect free at Centurion, Glen Village or Edenvale.
Key takeaways
- Digestive enzymes break food into pieces the body can use; your body makes its own.
- On a label, amylase works on starch, protease on protein and lipase on fat.
- Some products called digestive are mostly fibre and herbs, with enzymes further down the list.
- Take enzymes with meals, at the dose on the label.
- Symptoms that keep coming back or change belong with a doctor; see Before you use it.
What are digestive enzymes?
Enzymes are proteins that make a specific chemical change happen. In digestion, they cut food into pieces small enough for the body to use. MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine) lists saliva, gastric juice and intestinal fluids among the places they work.
Your body makes its own, mainly in the pancreas and small intestine. A supplement adds enzymes to the meal you are eating. It is not a replacement for the ones you make.
SOLGAR - Solgar® Digestive Enzymes – 100 TabletsAn enzyme combination for proteins, carbohydrates, starches and fats.R334
How to read a digestive enzyme label
Look for the enzyme names and what each one works on:
- Amylase: starch and carbohydrates (bread, pap, rice, potatoes).
- Protease: protein (meat, eggs, beans). Bromelain, from pineapple, is a protease.
- Lipase: fat.
A broad blend names several of each. A single-enzyme product names one. Then check the serving: how many tablets, how often and when. If the label lists herbs or fibre before the enzymes, you are holding a herbal digestive product with some enzymes in it, not an enzyme blend. That is not wrong, it is different, and it matters when you compare.
Which digestive enzyme should I buy?
Start with what you want the product to be.
- A straightforward enzyme blend: Solgar Digestive Enzymes covers proteins, carbohydrates, starches and fats, at one to three tablets a day. Metagenics SpectraZyme Complete uses non-animal enzymes, which matters if you avoid animal-derived ingredients.
- Enzymes with botanicals: Solgar Comfort Zone Digestive Complex blends enzymes with plant extracts.
- One enzyme: Solgar Bromelain if you want the pineapple enzyme alone.
- Fibre and herbs first: Nutrilife Digestezyme lists green barley grass, psyllium husk and ginger root alongside enzyme extracts.
Browse the rest of the shelf in gut health.
| Product | Type | What the label lists |
|---|---|---|
| Solgar Digestive Enzymes | Enzyme blend | Enzymes for proteins, carbohydrates, starches and fats |
| Metagenics SpectraZyme Complete | Enzyme blend | Non-animal enzymes, acid-stable lipase, three proteases |
| Solgar Comfort Zone | Enzymes with botanicals | Naturally derived enzymes and botanicals |
| Solgar Bromelain | Single enzyme | Bromelain, from pineapples |
| Nutrilife Digestezyme | Fibre and herbs with enzymes | Green barley grass, psyllium husk, ginger root, enzyme extracts |
When should you take digestive enzymes?
With food. An enzyme has nothing to work on in an empty stomach, so the label will tie the dose to a meal: at the start, during or straight after. Follow that product's label, not another product's, because timing and serving differ between brands.
If the product contains psyllium, as Digestezyme does, take it with a full glass of water. Psyllium is a soluble fibre that soaks up water and turns to gel.
When you do not need digestive enzymes
If you eat regular meals, digest them without trouble and feel well, an enzyme supplement adds nothing you are missing. Save the money.
The same goes for the festive season: a heavy plate is better met with a smaller portion, a walk after the meal and some water than with a bottle on the table. And if something about your digestion keeps coming back, has changed, or comes with weight loss or pain, do not reach for the shelf first. Book a doctor's appointment.
Digestive enzymes or probiotics?
They are different things. Enzymes are proteins that break food down. Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts. One does not stand in for the other, and you do not need both by default. If you are unsure which one you are looking for, bring the label to any of our three stores or send it to us on WhatsApp on 076 913 5059. You can also see what moves fastest across our tills in our best-selling supplements.
Before you use it. Read the label and take only the dose it gives. Ask one of our consultants or your doctor first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, buying for a child, take prescription medicine (including blood thinners), have surgery coming up, or are allergic to pineapple (bromelain comes from pineapple). If a doctor has prescribed an enzyme medicine, do not swap it for a supplement. Products with psyllium husk need a full glass of water; if you take other medicines, ask us or your pharmacist how far apart to take them.
Questions we get asked
What do digestive enzymes do?
They break food down into pieces the body can use. Amylase works on starch, protease on protein and lipase on fat. A supplement adds these to a meal; your body still makes its own.
What is the best digestive enzyme in South Africa?
There is no single best one. Choose by type: an enzyme blend if you want enzymes only, a single enzyme such as bromelain if that is what you are after, or a fibre-and-herb product if that is what you want. Read the label and ask us if you are unsure.
When should I take digestive enzymes?
With a meal, at the time and dose the label gives. Timing differs between brands, so follow the product in your hand.
Can I take digestive enzymes every day?
Take them as the label directs. If you find you want one with every meal for weeks, that is worth raising with your doctor rather than solving on your own.
Are digestive enzymes the same as probiotics?
No. Enzymes are proteins that break food down; probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts. They do different jobs.
Where these facts come from
- Enzyme: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
- Bromelain: Usefulness and Safety
- Soluble vs. insoluble fiber: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
— the One Life Health consultants
From the apothecary shelf
A few products we'd hand a customer asking for a starting point. Not a paid placement — these are what we actually take, recommend, or keep at the front of the shelf.
