Written by Team MD
09 June 2014

Digestive Enzymes for Bodybuilders: Do They Work?

 

 

Unfortunately, the bodybuilding industry is filled with complete bullshit lies about nutrition and supplementation. We have heard it all, "You can only digest 30 grams of protein at a time!" and "You should not mix protein and carbs."

 

 Many top-ranked IFBB pros take digestive enzymes for better digestion and improved absorption. In theory, it makes sense, but is there any proof that digestive enzymes do indeed help out with protein digestion? In the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers have published some interesting research that should persuade bodybuilders to take digestive enzymes with their high-protein meals, particularly red meat.

 

 The researchers examined green kiwi fruit, which contains a highly-active proteolytic enzyme called actinidin. Actinidin belongs to a family of proteases that contain a free sulfhydryl essential for its activity. Some of the other sulfhydryl proteases include bromelain, found in pineapples. Interestingly, actinidin aids in the digestion of proteins more completely and more rapidly than mammalian digestion alone. Researchers examined the effects of protein digestion with actinidin with different types of proteins: sodium casseinate, whey protein isolate, soy protein isolate, and beef protein. This should be interesting, as many bodybuilders eat red meat; in fact, Jay Cutler eats as much as 50 pounds a week.

 

 They found that actinidin increased protein digestion of sodium casseinate, beef protein, and soy protein isolate, where whey protein isolate was least affected.1 If you think about it, casein tends to clot and form a gel in the stomach where whey is rapidly absorbed. The actinidin is going to enhance the digestion of those proteins that sit around in the stomach because they take longer to digest. In addition, actinidin-enhanced protein digestion was above that of pepsin and pancreatin (i.e., the body's natural digestive enzymes). This provides evidence that eating kiwi or taking actinidin can enhance digestion and reduce feelings of fullness.

 

 Other Digestive Enzymes to Consider: Bromelain

Bromelain is a mixture of protein-digesting (proteolytic) enzymes found in pineapples (Ananas comosus). Pineapple has been used for centuries in Central and South America to treat indigestion and reduce inflammation. Bromelain, which is derived from the stem and juice of the pineapple, was first isolated from the pineapple plant in the late 1800s.

 

 Extracted from the stems of pineapples, bromelain is a multi-tasking supplement. It's classified as a proteolytic enzyme, which means it helps to break down proteins. But bromelain does much more than simply aid in digesting a steak dinner. Research shows that bromelain has a number of potential health benefits, e.g. speeding the healing of sports injuries. Previous evidence has indicated that dietary supplementation with oral proteases may attenuate losses in skeletal muscle force production, as well as muscle soreness after a damaging eccentric exercise.2 In a 2009 study in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, researchers reported that taking a protease supplement containing bromelain reduced muscle strength losses after eccentric exercise, by regulating leukocyte activity and inflammation.3

 

 So taking proteolytic enzymes or eating fruits such as kiwi and pineapple have natural digestive enzymes located in them which can speed up protein digestion, and, based on the literature, can reduce inflammation as well.

 

 References:

1. Kaur L, Rutherfurd SM, Moughan PJ, Drummond L, Boland MJ. Actinidin Enhances Protein Digestion in the Small Intestine As Assessed Using an in Vitro Digestion Model. J Agric Food Chem, 2010 Mar 16.

 2. Buford TW, Cooke MB, Redd LL, Hudson GM, Shelmadine BD, Willoughby DS. Protease Supplementation Improves Muscle Function after Eccentric Exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2009 Sep 2.

 3. Beck TW, Housh TJ, Johnson GO, et al. Effects of a protease supplement on eccentric exercise-induced markers of delayed-onset muscle soreness and muscle damage. J Strength Cond Res, 2007;21(3):661-7.

 

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