Do you feel that you could be missing out on hearing about the right supplement for you? Or, are you new to the supplement market? To help answer those questions, we present the latest in our ongoing series “’Alphabet Soup’ of Supplements,” this time navigating over to the letter ‘P.’
Take a quick peek below at the points we make here to see why pancreatin, pantothenic acid, and proteolytic enzymes each might have a strategic place in your health and nutrition plan. Many of their benefits are associated with enzymatic activity. Which of these might best apply to you?
Three Healthful ‘P’ Supplements
Pancreatin is a substance with very specific therapeutic applications. That’s because pancreatin is a combination of digestive enzymes, which are proteins, that are normally produced by the pancreas in healthy people. A supplemental form of pancreatin is produced and utilized specifically for the purpose of providing it to people whose pancreas is not producing pancreatin in sufficient amounts, or at all. The pancreas’s failure to produce pancreatin occurs due to certain medical conditions such as pancreatitis and cystic fibrosis. It also occurs due to another condition called pancreatic insufficiency. A pancreatin supplement is crucial in these cases because it allows for and restores normal digestive conditions related to pancreatin and the liver. If you or someone you love has one of these conditions, supplemental pancreatin is highly useful, and even essential!
Pantothenic acid is one of the eight B vitamins (B5), and it makes important contributions to bodily health all of the time. Pantothenic acid makes essential contributions to enzymatic reactions, helping to digest macronutrients in food and convert them to usable energy. Deficiency in pantothenic acid is uncommon because it is present in many foods. Conditions where a pantothenic acid would be most likely to be very helpful include eating disorders as well as inflammatory bowel disease (IBS). Without a deficiency, taking pantothenic acid could still produce small but noticeable benefits in levels of both healthy HDL cholesterol and unhealthy LDL cholesterol.
Proteolytic enzymes are crucial enzymes naturally produced in the pancreas and stomach. They include pancreatin (featured as a solo supplement, as discussed above!) bromelain, papain, and trypsin. They fulfill multiple roles. An effective proteolytic enzyme supplement will contain most or all of these four enzymes. These are produced in the digestive organs, and therein is where one of their most important roles takes place: the digestion of dietary proteins. They are also essential for a variety of other major bodily processes including cell division, immune function, and protein recycling. Like a simple pancreatin supplement, the foremost benefits of a proteolytic complex supplement apply to those whose bodies don’t produce sufficient proteolytic enzymes due to a medical condition.
Studies show that those with indigestion also see pronounced benefits including reductions in bloating, abdominal pain, heartburn, and other symptoms from proteolytic enzymes. Research also supports the effectiveness of taking proteolytic enzymes for decreasing inflammation in inflammatory conditions, and reducing muscle soreness.
These three ‘P’ supplements, which have noticeable overlap in their potential to aid digestion in those with digestive troubles, and recoup deficiencies in crucial enzymes, can all be instrumental in their benefits. Do you have a condition which could be addressed by one of these? One or more of these could be significant help. If that is of interest to you and your own health, we recommend that you talk to your healthcare provider about it before trying any of them, to make sure it or they is/are suitable for your body and won’t conflict with any prescription medicines you might already be taking.