As with most health matters, there are two ways of going about replenishing the enzyme levels in the body. There is the ‘chemical route’ of prescription medication and the more natural way, through supplements. Digestive enzyme supplements can be got from plant, microbial or animal sources. Plant-derived enzymes are thought to be more stable in the intestines and are obviously suitable for vegetarians. Animal-sourced enzymes are not as stable in acidic places like the stomach. Examples of plant-sourced enzymes include bromelain, from pineapples, papain, derived from papayas, and lactase, which comes from yeasts or fungi. The impact of low digestive enzyme levels can be significant. It can cause bloating or flatulence or a general sense of being run down. Have you been to your GP to check your symptoms aren’t serious? You should consider taking digestive enzyme supplements. This is because digestive enzymes help break down food so the body can absorb nutrients. They are absorbed into the blood through the walls of the small intestine, and the blood then carries these broken down molecules all around the body to fuel it. Failing to digest food properly means that you are not fuelling the body properly. You do not absorb all the nutrients that are available and the body also has to work harder than it should to absorb the nutrients it needs. In effect, you are not getting enough fuel for your body. This means your body is having to work harder than necessary to get any fuel it is getting. We call it the digestive double whammy – not enough petrol going into an engine that is having to use more petrol than other engines.