Enzyme Supplements

Look for plant enzyme supplements and avoid pancreatic or animal enzymes. Be sure that the supplement label uses FCC units, such as LU, DU, CU rather than milligrams on the label. Also be sure the supplement is in capsule or powder form. The enzymes are destroyed by the pressure and heat required to make a tablet.

Units Seen on the Label: Some companies indicate enzyme potency in milligrams. While this may look impressive on the label, it is actually meaningless. Enzyme effectiveness depends on activity, not weight.

The system for determining enzyme potency used by the American food industry is derived from the Food Chemical Codex (FCC) and is accepted as the standard by the FDA. The activity of enzymes such as protease, lipase, amylase, etc. can be expressed in units, which are well defined by the FCC.

The label should show the following units for these common enzymes: Protease = HUT, Amylase = DU, Lipase = LU, Cellulase = CU, Sucrase = IAu, Lactase = LacU, Maltase = Dpo.

Common Types of Enzymes Used in Supplements

• Pancreatic Enzymes: Pancreatic enzymes are from animal sources and are not found naturally in food. Enzymes such as trypsin and chymotrypsin are animal/pancreatic enzymes and should be avoided. Pancreatic enzymes do not survive the digestive processes and are not active in all pH ranges found in the digestive tract, so they are not as effective as plant enzymes.
  
  
• Plant Enzymes: Plant-based enzymes are more effective than animal or pancreatic enzymes for a couple of reasons. First, plant enzymes have a broader pH activity range, which means they can help digest foods and remain active throughout the intestinal tract. Second, they do not interfere with the natural functioning of your body and therefore have no side effects. Look for formulas that list enzymes such as protease, lipase, amylase and peptidase.

• Avoid synthetic Vitamins (e.g. beta-carotene, pyridoxine hydrochloride, retinol, palmitate, pteroylglutamic acid, thiamin mononitrate, thiamin hydrochloride, ascorbic acid). Vitamins
  
  
• Look for amino acid chelated minerals (e.g. chromium chelavite, magnesium chelazome) that are easily identifiable by their suffix of chelavite, chelate or chelazome. Chelated Minerals
  
  
• Many herbal supplements have begun to use “standardized extracts”. A standardized extract simply means that the manufacturer has extracted the portion of the herb that is believed to be the active ingredient. Herbs
  
  
• Look for a plant enzyme supplement and avoid pancreatic or animal enzymes. Be sure that the supplement label uses FCC units, such as LU, DU, CU rather than milligrams on the label. (This Page)

  Probiotic supplements should include several different types of bacteria (at least eight different strains), and should list each of the individual microflora found in the supplement by their Latin name with a count of how many of these live cultures are found in each capsule or serving. Probiotic Supplements Return to How to Read Supplement Labels. Top of page Enzyme Supplements