Boost Your Digestive Enzymes

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We’ll Try To Make This Easy To Digest

Do you have a digestion-related problem?

If so, you’re far from alone; around 40% of Americans have digestive problems serious enough to disrupt everyday life:

New survey finds forty percent of Americans’ daily lives are disrupted by digestive troubles

…which puts Americans just a little over the global average of 35%:

Global Burden of Digestive Diseases: A Systematic Analysis of the Global Burden of Diseases Study, 1990 to 2019

Mostly likely on account of the Standard American Diet, or “SAD” as it often gets abbreviated in scientific literature.

There’s plenty we can do to improve gut health, for example:

Today we’re going to be examining digestive enzyme supplements!

What are digestive enzymes?

Digestive enzymes are enzymes that break down food into stuff we can use. Important amongst them are:

  • Protease: breaks down proteins (into amino acids)
  • Amylase: breaks down starches (into sugars)
  • Lipase: breaks down fats (into fatty acids)

All three are available as popular supplements to aid digestion. How does the science stack up for them?

Protease

For this, we only found animal studies like this one, but the results have been promising:

Exogenous protease supplementation to the diet enhances growth performance, improves nitrogen utilization, and reduces stress

Amylase

Again, the studies for this alone (not combined with other enzymes) have been solely from animal agriculture; here’s an example:

The Effect of Exogenous Amylase Supplementation on the Nutritional Value of Peas

Lipase

Unlike for protease and amylase, now we have human studies as well, and here’s what they had to say:

❝Lipase supplementation significantly reduced stomach fullness without change of EGG.

Furthermore, lipase supplementation may be helpful in control of FD symptom such as postprandial symptoms❞

~ Dr. Seon-Young Park & Dr. Jong-Sun Rew

Read more: Is Lipase Supplementation before a High Fat Meal Helpful to Patients with Functional Dyspepsia?

(short answer: yes, it is)

More studies found the same, such as:

Lipase Supplementation before a High-Fat Meal Reduces Perceptions of Fullness in Healthy Subjects

All together now!

When we look at studies for combination supplementation of digestive enzymes, more has been done, and/but it’s (as you might expect) less specific.

The following paper gives a good rundown:

Pancrelipase Therapy: A Combination Of Protease, Amylase, & Lipase

Is it safe?

For most people it is quite safe, but if taking high doses for a long time it can cause problems, and also there may be complications if you have diabetes, are otherwise immunocompromised, or have some other conditions (listed towards the end of the above-linked paper, along with further information that we can’t fit in here).

As ever, check with your doctor/pharmacist if you’re not completely sure!

Want some?

We don’t sell them, but for your convenience, here’s an example product on Amazon that contains all three

Enjoy!

We’ll Try To Make This Easy To Digest

Do you have a digestion-related problem?

If so, you’re far from alone; around 40% of Americans have digestive problems serious enough to disrupt everyday life:

New survey finds forty percent of Americans’ daily lives are disrupted by digestive troubles

…which puts Americans just a little over the global average of 35%:

Global Burden of Digestive Diseases: A Systematic Analysis of the Global Burden of Diseases Study, 1990 to 2019

Mostly likely on account of the Standard American Diet, or “SAD” as it often gets abbreviated in scientific literature.

There’s plenty we can do to improve gut health, for example:

Today we’re going to be examining digestive enzyme supplements!

What are digestive enzymes?

Digestive enzymes are enzymes that break down food into stuff we can use. Important amongst them are:

  • Protease: breaks down proteins (into amino acids)
  • Amylase: breaks down starches (into sugars)
  • Lipase: breaks down fats (into fatty acids)

All three are available as popular supplements to aid digestion. How does the science stack up for them?

Protease

For this, we only found animal studies like this one, but the results have been promising:

Exogenous protease supplementation to the diet enhances growth performance, improves nitrogen utilization, and reduces stress

Amylase

Again, the studies for this alone (not combined with other enzymes) have been solely from animal agriculture; here’s an example:

The Effect of Exogenous Amylase Supplementation on the Nutritional Value of Peas

Lipase

Unlike for protease and amylase, now we have human studies as well, and here’s what they had to say:

❝Lipase supplementation significantly reduced stomach fullness without change of EGG.

Furthermore, lipase supplementation may be helpful in control of FD symptom such as postprandial symptoms❞

~ Dr. Seon-Young Park & Dr. Jong-Sun Rew

Read more: Is Lipase Supplementation before a High Fat Meal Helpful to Patients with Functional Dyspepsia?

(short answer: yes, it is)

More studies found the same, such as:

Lipase Supplementation before a High-Fat Meal Reduces Perceptions of Fullness in Healthy Subjects

All together now!

When we look at studies for combination supplementation of digestive enzymes, more has been done, and/but it’s (as you might expect) less specific.

The following paper gives a good rundown:

Pancrelipase Therapy: A Combination Of Protease, Amylase, & Lipase

Is it safe?

For most people it is quite safe, but if taking high doses for a long time it can cause problems, and also there may be complications if you have diabetes, are otherwise immunocompromised, or have some other conditions (listed towards the end of the above-linked paper, along with further information that we can’t fit in here).

As ever, check with your doctor/pharmacist if you’re not completely sure!

Want some?

We don’t sell them, but for your convenience, here’s an example product on Amazon that contains all three

Enjoy!

Don’t Forget…

Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

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  • Half Of Americans Over 50 Have Hemorrhoids, But They Can Be Prevented!

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

    Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!

    In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

    As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!

    So, no question/request too big or small

    ❝Hello. I was hoping you could give some useful tips about how to avoid a painful ailment that has affected Ernest Hemingway, Karl Marx, David Livingstone, Napoleon, Marilyn Monroe, King Alfred, and Martin Luther, and, I confess, me from time to time … namely, hemorrhoids. Help!❞

    Firstly: that list could be a lot longer! We don’t have global stats, but in the US for example, half of adults over 50 have hemorrhoids.

    So, you’re certainly not alone. People just don’t talk about it.

    But, there are preventative things you can do:

    Fiber, fiber, fiber. See also:

    Level-Up Your Fiber Intake! (Without Difficulty Or Discomfort)

    Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

    This one’s simple enough. If you are dehydrated, constipation is more likely, and with it, hemorrhoids.

    Watch your meds…

    Some medications can cause constipation—painkillers containing codeine are a common culprit, for example.

    When you go, go!

    Not only can prolonged straining promote hemorrhoids, but also (if you’ll pardon the phrasing—there’s only so delicately we can say this) simply sitting with things partway “open” down there is not good for its health; things can quickly become irritated, and that can lead to hemorrhoids.

    So: when you go, go. Leave your phone in another room!

    Wash—but carefully.

    Beyond your normal showering/bathing routine, a bidet is a great option for keeping things happy down there, if you have that option available to you.

    However, if you have hemorrhoids, don’t use soap, as this can cause irritation and make it worse.

    Warm water is fine, as is a salt bath, and pat dry and/or use gentle wet-wipes rather than rougher paper.

    You can follow up with a hemorrhoid cream of your choice (or hydrocortisone, unless that’s contraindicated by another condition you have)

    Know when to seek help

    Hemorrhoids will usually go away by themselves if not exacerbated. But if it’s getting unduly difficult, and/or you’re bleeding down there, it’s time to see a doctor.

    Note on bleeding: even if you’re 100% sure you have hemorrhoids, there are still other reasons you could be bleeding, and so it needs checking out.

    Hemorrhoid treatment, if needed, will vary depending on severity. Beyond creams and lotions, there are other options that are less fun but sometimes necessary, including injections, electrotherapy, banding, or surgery.

    Take care!

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  • How worried should I be about cryptosporidiosis? Am I safe at the pool?

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    You might have heard of something called “cryptosporidiosis” recently, closely followed by warnings to stay away from your local swimming pool if you’ve had diarrhoea.

    More than 700 cases of this gastrointestinal disease were reported in Queensland in January, which is 13 times more than in January last year. Just under 500 cases have been recorded in New South Wales this year to-date, while other states have similarly reported an increase in the number of cryptosporidiosis infections in recent months.

    Cryptosporidiosis has been listed as a national notifiable disease in Australia since 2001.
    But what exactly is it, and should we be worried?

    What causes cryptosporidiosis, and who is affected?

    Cryptosporidiosis is the disease caused by the parasite Cryptosporidium, of which there are two types that can make us sick. Cryptosporidum hominis only affects humans and is the major cause of recent outbreaks in Australia, while Cryptosporidium parvum can also affect animals.

    The infection is spread by spores called oocysts in the stools of humans and animals. When ingested, these oocysts migrate and mature in the small bowel. They damage the small bowel lining and can lead to diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, fever and abdominal discomfort.

    Most people develop symptoms anywhere from one to 12 days after becoming infected. Usually these symptoms resolve within two weeks, but the illness may last longer and can be severe in those with a weakened immune system.

    Children and the elderly tend to be the most commonly affected. Cryptosporidiosis is more prevalent in young children, particularly those under five, but the disease can affect people of any age.

    A 'pool closed' sign in front of a swimming pool.
    A number of public pools have been closed lately due to cryptosporidiosis outbreaks.
    LBeddoe/Shutterstock

    So how do we catch it?

    Most major outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis have been due to people drinking contaminated water. The largest recorded outbreak occurred in Milwaukee in 1993 where 403,000 people were believed to have been infected.

    Cryptosporidium oocysts are very small in size and in Milwaukee they passed through the filtration system of one of the water treatment plants undetected, infecting the city’s water supply. As few as ten oocysts can cause infection, making it possible for contaminated drinking water to affect a very large number of people.

    Four days after infection a person with cryptosporidiosis can shed up to ten billion oocysts into their stool a day, with the shedding persisting for about two weeks. This is why one infected person in a swimming pool can infect the entire pool in a single visit.

    Cryptosporidium oocysts excreted in the faeces of infected humans and animals can also reach natural bodies of water such as beaches, rivers and lakes directly through sewer pipes or indirectly such as in manure transported with surface runoff after heavy rain.

    One study which modelled Cryptosporidium concentrations in rivers around the world estimated there are anywhere from 100 to one million oocysts in a litre of river water.

    In Australia, cryptosporidiosis outbreaks tend to occur during the late spring and early summer periods when there’s an increase in recreational water activities such as swimming in natural water holes, water catchments and public pools. We don’t know exactly why cases have seen such a surge this summer compared to other years, but we know Cryptosporidium is very infectious.

    Oocysts have been found in foods such as fresh vegetables and seafood but these are not common sources of infection in Australia.

    What about chlorine?

    Contrary to popular belief, chlorine doesn’t kill off all infectious microbes in a swimming pool. Cryptosporidium oocysts are hardy, thick-walled and resistant to chlorine and acid. They are not destroyed by chlorine at the normal concentrations found in swimming pools.

    We also know oocysts can be significantly protected from the effects of chlorine in swimming pools by faecal material, so the presence of even small amounts of faecal matter contaminated with Cryptosporidium in a swimming pool would necessitate closure and a thorough decontamination.

    Young children and in particular children in nappies are known to increase the potential for disease transmission in recreational water. Proper nappy changing, frequent bathroom breaks and showering before swimming to remove faecal residue are helpful ways to reduce the risk.

    Two children playing in a body of water.
    Cryptosporidium can spread in other bodies of water, not just swimming pools.
    Yulia Simonova/Shutterstock

    Some sensible precautions

    Other measures you can take to reduce yours and others’ risk of cryptosporidiosis include:

    • avoid swimming in natural waters such as rivers and creeks during and for at least three days after heavy rain
    • avoid swimming in beaches for at least one day after heavy rain
    • avoid drinking untreated water such as water from rivers or springs. If you need to drink untreated water, boiling it first will kill the Cryptosporidium
    • avoid swallowing water when swimming if you can
    • if you’ve had diarrhoea, avoid swimming for at least two weeks after it has resolved
    • avoid sharing towels or linen for at least two weeks after diarrhoea has resolved
    • avoid sharing, touching or preparing food that other people may eat for at least 48 hours after diarrhoea has resolved
    • wash your hands with soap and water after going to the bathroom or before preparing food (Cryptosporidium is not killed by alcohol gels and sanitisers).

    Not all cases of diarrhoea are due to cryptosporidiosis. There are many other causes of infectious gastroenteritis and because the vast majority of the time recovery is uneventful you don’t need to see a doctor unless very unwell. If you do suspect you may have cryptosporidiosis you can ask your doctor to refer you for a stool test.The Conversation

    Vincent Ho, Associate Professor and clinical academic gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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  • How to Vary Breakfast for Digestion?

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

    Have a question or a request? You can always hit “reply” to any of our emails, or use the feedback widget at the bottom!

    In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

    As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!

    So, no question/request too big or small

    ❝Would appreciate your thoughts on how best to promote good digestion. For years, my breakfast has consisted of flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, and almonds – all well ground up – eaten with a generous amount of kefir. This works a treat as far as my digestion is concerned. But I sometimes wonder whether it would be better for my health if I varied or supplemented this breakfast. How might I do this without jeopardising my good digestion?❞

    Sounds like you’re already doing great! Those ingredients are all very nutrient-dense, and grinding them up improves digestion greatly, to the point that you’re getting nutrients your body couldn’t get at otherwise. And the kefir, of course, is a top-tier probiotic.

    Also, you’re getting plenty of protein and healthy fats in with your carbs, which results in the smoothest blood sugar curve.

    As for variety…

    Variety is good in diet, but variety within a theme. Our gut microbiota change according to what we eat, so sudden changes in diet are often met with heavy resistance from our gut.

    • For example, people who take up a 100% plant-based diet overnight often spend the next day in the bathroom, and wonder what happened.
    • Conversely, a long-time vegan who (whether by accident or design) consumes meat or dairy will likely find themself quickly feeling very unwell, because their gut microbiota have no idea what to do with this.

    So, variety yes, but within a theme, and make any changes gradual for the easiest transition.

    All in all, the only obvious suggestion for improvement is to consider adding some berries. These can be fresh, dried, or frozen, and will confer many health benefits (most notably a lot of antioxidant activity).

    Enjoy!

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  • Insomnia Decoded – by Dr. Audrey Porter

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    We’ve written about sleep books before, so what makes this one different? Its major selling point is: most of the focus isn’t on the things that everyone already knows.

    Yes, there’s a section on sleep hygiene and yes it’ll tell you to cut the caffeine and alcohol, but most of the advice here is beyond that.

    Rather, it looks at finding out (if you don’t already know for sure) what is keeping you from healthy sleep, be it environmental, directly physical, or psychological, and breaking out of the stress-sleep cycle that often emerges from such.

    The style is light and conversational, but includes plenty of science too; Dr. Porter knows her stuff.

    Bottom line: if you feel like you know what you should be doing, but somehow life keeps conspiring to stop you from doing it, then this is the book that could help you break out that cycle.

    Click here to check out Insomnia Decoded, and get regular healthy sleep!

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  • Chorus or Cacophony? Cicada Song Hits Some Ears Harder Than Others

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    ST. LOUIS — Shhhooo. Wee-uuu. Chick, chick, chick. That’s the sound of three different cicada species. For some people, those sounds are the song of the summer. Others wish the insects would turn it down. The cacophony can be especially irritating for people on the autism spectrum who have hearing sensitivity.

    Warren Rickly, 14, lives in suburban south St. Louis County, Missouri. Warren, who has autism, was at the bus stop recently waiting for his younger brother when the sound of cicadas became too much to bear.

    “He said it sounds like there’s always a train running next to him,” his mother, Jamie Reed, said.

    Warren told her the noise hurt.

    Starting this spring, trillions of the red-eyed insects crawled their way out of the ground across the Midwest and Southeast. It’s part of a rare simultaneous emergence of two broods — one that appears every 13 years, the other every 17.

    The noisy insects can be stressful. People with autism can have a sensitivity to texture, brightness, and sound.

    “I think the difference for individuals with autism is the level of intensity or how upsetting some of these sensory differences are,” said Rachel Follmer, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago.

    “It can get to the extreme where it can cause physical discomfort,” she said.

    When a large group of cicadas starts to sing, the chorus can be as loud as a motorcycle. Researchers at the University of Missouri-St. Louis this year crowdsourced cicada noise levels as high as 86 decibels, about as loud as a food blender.

    That can be stressful, not melodic, Follmer said.

    To help children cope, she suggests giving them a primer before they encounter a noisy situation. For cicadas, that could mean explaining what they are, that they don’t bite or sting, and that they’ll be here for just a short time.

    “When something is uncomfortable, not having power in that situation can be very scary for a lot of individuals, whether you’re on the spectrum or not,” Follmer said.

    Jamie Reed’s family has been using this and other strategies to help her son. Warren wears noise-canceling headphones, listens to music, and has been teaching himself about cicadas.

    “For him, researching it and looking into it I think grounds him a little bit,” Reed said.

    Fatima Husain is a professor and neuroscientist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and studies how the brain processes sound. She said people with tinnitus may also struggle with cicada song.

    Tinnitus, a ringing or other noise in the ears, is a person’s perception of sound without an external source.

    “Some people say it sounds like buzzing, like wind blowing through trees, and ironically, quite a few people say it sounds like cicadas,” Husain said.

    For most people with tinnitus the cicada’s song is harmless background noise, according to Husain, but for others the ringing can prevent easy conversation or sleep. Those with tinnitus are also more likely to have anxiety or depression. A loud persistent sound, like singing cicadas, can make someone’s tinnitus worse, Husain said.

    It’s not always bad, though. The cicada’s song can also be a relief.

    For some, tinnitus gets worse in a quiet environment. Husain said she’s seen reports this year of patients saying the cicadas’ song has been like soothing white noise.

    “The sound is loud enough that in some ways it’s drowning their internal tinnitus,” Husain said.

    As loud as the cicadas can be, they won’t necessarily damage anyone’s hearing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hearing loss builds up over time from repeated exposure to loud sounds. Cicadas aren’t loud enough for long enough to do lasting damage, Husain said.

    Everyday sources of noise come with a higher risk. Husain said constant exposure to loud highways, an airport, industrial sites, or household appliances like blenders and hair dryers can be a concern. And they can take a toll on someone’s emotional well-being.

    “If you are being exposed to very loud sounds for a part of your school day or your working day, it may make you more stressed out; it may make you more angry about things,” she said.

    Unlike the highway or an airport, cicadas won’t be around long. Most of the current brood will be gone in the next few weeks. Just in time for another noisy summer event: the Fourth of July.

    KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

    Subscribe to KFF Health News’ free Morning Briefing.

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  • Fast. Feast. Repeat – by Dr. Gin Stephens

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    We’ve reviewed intermittent fasting books before, so what makes this one different?

    The title “Fast. Feast. Repeat.” doesn’t give much away; after all, we already know that that’s what intermittent fasting is.

    After taking the reader though the basics of how intermittent fasting works and what it does for the body, much of the rest of the book is given over to improvements.

    That’s what the real strength of this book is: ways to make intermittent fasting more efficient, including how to avoid plateaus. After all, sometimes it can seem like the only way to push further with intermittent fasting is to restrict the eating window further. Not so!

    Instead, Dr. Stephens gives us ways to keep confusing our metabolism (in a good way) if, for example, we had a weight loss goal we haven’t met yet.

    Best of all, this comes without actually having to eat less.

    Bottom line: if you want to be in good physical health, and/but also believe that life is for living and you enjoy eating food, then this book can resolve that age-old dilemma!

    Click here to check out Fast. Feast. Repeat., and supercharge your health without sacrificing happiness!

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