Direct answer: Digestive enzymes help break proteins, fats, carbohydrates, lactose, and certain fibers into smaller components your body can absorb or move through the digestive tract. Different enzymes work on different foods, and supplemental enzymes may offer meal-time support—but bloating, gas, burping, nausea, or heartburn can have many causes and do not automatically mean you have an enzyme deficiency.
Digestive enzymes at a glance
- Your body produces digestive enzymes in the mouth, stomach, pancreas, and small intestine.
- Amylase works on carbohydrates, proteases and peptidases work on proteins, and lipase works on fats.
- Specialized enzymes such as lactase and alpha-galactosidase act on particular carbohydrates.
- Some people use broad-spectrum digestive-enzyme supplements for additional meal-time support.
- Digestive symptoms have many possible causes, so persistent or serious symptoms deserve medical evaluation.
- Digestive-enzyme supplements do not make gluten safe for anyone with celiac disease.
“You can eat a perfect diet, but you will still starve if you can’t digest it.”
—Dr. Tennant
Dr. Tennant’s statement is a memorable way of emphasizing an important point: food must be broken into usable components before the body can absorb its nutrients. It is not meant to suggest that ordinary gas or bloating literally means someone is starving.
If you have found yourself bloated, gassy, nauseous, burping, or experiencing heartburn after a meal, it is reasonable to wonder whether something you ate was difficult for you to digest. Those symptoms may relate to a food, portion size, eating speed, swallowed air, lactose intolerance, reflux, medications, or another digestive issue. Enzymes are one part of the picture—not a diagnosis by themselves.
What are digestive enzymes?
Digestive enzymes are proteins that speed the breakdown of food as it moves through the digestive tract. Digestion starts in the mouth, continues in the stomach, and is completed largely in the small intestine with help from the pancreas, liver, gallbladder, intestinal lining, and gut microbes.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) explains that digestion breaks proteins into amino acids, fats into fatty acids and glycerol, and carbohydrates into simple sugars. Once food has been broken into sufficiently small components, most nutrients are absorbed through the small intestine.
How do digestive enzymes work?
Each digestive enzyme has a particular job. That is why a formula intended to act on many kinds of foods contains multiple enzyme activities rather than just one:
- Amylase helps break down starches and other carbohydrates.
- Proteases and peptidases help break proteins and peptides into smaller pieces.
- Lipase helps break down dietary fats.
- Lactase helps break down lactose, the natural sugar in milk.
- Alpha-galactosidase acts on certain carbohydrates found in foods such as beans and some vegetables.
- Cellulase, hemicellulase, xylanase, and pectinase act on selected plant fibers and carbohydrates. Humans do not produce these enzymes.
If the body produces too little of a specific enzyme—or if an enzyme cannot reach or mix with food effectively—particular nutrients may be incompletely digested. For example, inadequate lactase can allow lactose to reach the large intestine, where bacteria ferment it and may produce gas, bloating, or diarrhea. Lactase products can help some people manage lactose-intolerance symptoms.
A more serious example is exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), in which the small intestine cannot fully digest food because too few pancreatic enzymes are produced, delivered, or able to work. EPI can contribute to malabsorption and requires medical diagnosis and prescription treatment. A general over-the-counter supplement should not be used as a substitute for that care.
What can affect digestion and enzyme activity?
Several factors can influence digestion. The original version of this article focused on age, cooked and processed foods, and pesticide exposure. Those remain useful topics, but each needs context.
1. Age and health conditions
Digestive function can change with age, and older adults are more likely to have health conditions, surgeries, or medications that affect digestion. Age alone, however, does not prove that someone has a general digestive-enzyme deficiency. Clinically important pancreatic-enzyme insufficiency is more strongly associated with conditions such as chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, pancreatic disease, and certain gastrointestinal surgeries. The NIDDK’s EPI overview explains these distinctions.
2. Cooked and processed foods
Heating and processing can deactivate enzymes naturally present in food. That is true, but it does not necessarily reduce your body’s own ability to produce digestive enzymes. Your digestive organs normally supply the enzymes needed to break down a mixed diet. Cooking can also make some foods easier to chew and digest by changing their physical structure.
The practical point is that a highly processed or repetitive diet may affect digestive comfort and overall nutrition for many reasons—not simply because the food’s natural enzymes were destroyed.
3. Pesticides, glyphosate, and the microbiome
Pesticides are designed to affect living organisms, and researchers continue to study how agricultural exposures may interact with the gut microbiome. Glyphosate has received particular attention because some microorganisms use a biochemical pathway targeted by the herbicide.
Animal research has reported microbiome changes after glyphosate exposure. For example, a 2023 mouse study reported depletion of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, along with pro-inflammatory changes, at the doses studied in mice. These mouse findings preserve the concern raised in the original article, but they do not establish that ordinary dietary exposure in humans kills those bacteria, causes digestive-enzyme deficiency, creates lactose intolerance, or leads to autoimmune disease. Those stronger cause-and-effect claims remain unproven in humans. This is an area to watch, not a reason to diagnose digestive symptoms from pesticide exposure alone.
Why are some nutritious foods difficult to digest?
People often describe gluten-containing foods, dairy, grains, nuts, seeds, sugars, fats, beans, broccoli, and even rich or processed meats such as bacon as difficult to digest. These foods do not all create symptoms for the same reason, and they are not universally problematic.
- Dairy may cause symptoms when lactose is not fully digested.
- Beans and broccoli contain carbohydrates that gut bacteria can ferment, producing gas.
- High-fat meals may empty from the stomach more slowly and feel heavy for some people.
- Nuts, seeds, whole grains, and vegetables contain fibers that are fermented to different degrees.
- Gluten is a special case because it can trigger an autoimmune reaction in people with celiac disease.
The NIDDK notes that some gas is normal and often results when bacteria in the large intestine break down carbohydrates that were not fully digested earlier. A food-and-symptom diary can help identify personal patterns more reliably than labeling a long list of foods as “bad.”
Gluten: why is it different?
Gluten is a family of proteins found primarily in wheat, barley, and rye. It is also used in many processed foods for texture and structure. Gluten proteins contain relatively high amounts of the amino acids proline and glutamine, and some proline-rich gluten peptides resist complete breakdown by ordinary human digestive enzymes.
That incomplete breakdown does not automatically cause disease. The important distinction is the person’s response:
- Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which gluten triggers an immune reaction that damages the small intestine.
- Wheat allergy is an allergic response to wheat proteins and can sometimes be serious.
- Non-celiac gluten sensitivity describes symptoms associated with gluten- or wheat-containing foods after celiac disease and wheat allergy have been excluded. Its mechanisms are still being studied.
If you suspect celiac disease, speak with a healthcare professional before beginning a gluten-free diet. NIDDK advises against starting a gluten-free diet before diagnostic testing because doing so can affect the results.
What is DPP-IV, and can it help process gluten?
Dipeptidyl peptidase-IV, commonly abbreviated DPP-IV, is an enzyme activity that can cleave an N-terminal dipeptide when proline is in the second position. This is why it is often discussed in connection with proline-rich gluten and casein fragments.
The earlier article also discussed intestinal permeability—often called “leaky gut”—and zonulin. A 2009 study identified pre-haptoglobin 2 as zonulin and described it as the only physiological mediator then known to regulate intestinal permeability reversibly; that is a historical statement about what was known at the time, not proof that zonulin is the only regulator. Measurement also requires care: a 2018 study found that a widely used commercial zonulin assay did not appear to recognize pre-haptoglobin 2 and may detect related proteins, including properdin. A zonulin test result by itself therefore does not show that undigested food caused a person’s symptoms. We also did not find product-specific human evidence establishing that supplemental DPP-IV lowers zonulin or treats increased intestinal permeability.
Laboratory activity is not the same as proof that a supplement neutralizes gluten inside the human body. A study of several commercially available digestive-enzyme supplements found them ineffective at degrading the immunogenic gluten epitopes tested: nine epitopes were largely left intact. Therefore, commercial enzyme blends have not been shown to eliminate immunogenic gluten peptides and should not be described as a “gluten detox,” a treatment for celiac disease, or a way to make gluten consumption safe.
For anyone with celiac disease, a strict gluten-free diet remains the established treatment. A digestive-enzyme supplement cannot replace that diet or protect against intestinal damage. See the NIDDK’s celiac treatment guidance.
Some people without celiac disease choose an enzyme blend as additional protein-digestion support with a varied meal. Individual digestive comfort may vary, but perceived comfort is not evidence that immunogenic gluten peptides were neutralized.
What is in Dr. Tennant’s® Digestive Enzyme Formula?
When Dr. Tennant was designing Dr. Tennant’s® Digestive Enzyme Formula, he partnered with a biochemist to create a broad-spectrum blend rather than a single-enzyme product.
27 labeled enzyme activities selected to support the digestion of different meal components
The current Supplement Facts label accounts for 27 enzyme activities across Pancreatin 11x and four labeled enzyme groups. Some activities, such as protease, amylase, lipase, trypsin, and chymotrypsin, appear both within Pancreatin 11x and elsewhere on the label; the count reflects each labeled formulation activity, not 27 unique enzyme names. The label groups them around the kinds of food they act upon:
- Pancreatin 11X: naturally occurring concentrated pancreatic protease, amylase, lipase, trypsin, and chymotrypsin.
- Protein-digestion blend: protease, papain, bromelain, and alkaline protease I.
- Trypsin complex: trypsin and chymotrypsin.
- Peptidase blend: peptidase, aspergillopepsin, and alkaline protease II, labeled for gluten, casein, and other difficult-to-digest proteins.
- Fat, carbohydrate, and fiber support: lipase, amylase, glucoamylase, lactase, alpha-galactosidase, beta-glucanase, cellulase, hemicellulase, xylanase, phytase, invertase, pectinase, and diastase.
- Additional digestive support—not enzymes: betaine HCl and ox bile extract.
This breadth is intended to provide meal-time support across proteins, fats, carbohydrates, dairy, grains, beans, vegetables, and other mixed foods. It does not mean every person needs every enzyme or that the formula treats every possible cause of digestive discomfort.
The original article noted that the broad formula was designed for varied meals, including food that is overcooked or conventionally farmed. That formulation context is preserved here, but the supplement does not replace a varied, nutritious diet or make cooking method and agricultural practices irrelevant.
The original article also said the formula may help improve signs of indigestion such as bloating, burping, flatulence, and post-meal tummy trouble. That possibility is retained as a qualified support claim, not a promised immediate result: digestive comfort varies, these symptoms have many causes, and the article does not establish a product-specific clinical outcome.
The formula contains porcine- and bovine-derived ingredients and is not vegetarian. Always review the current product label, especially if you have allergies, dietary restrictions, a medical condition, are pregnant or nursing, or take medication.
A simple decision framework: what should you do?
If symptoms happen occasionally after a particular food
Write down the food, portion, timing, and symptoms. Consider whether a specific component—such as lactose or fermentable carbohydrates—fits the pattern. A targeted enzyme may make more sense than assuming you lack all digestive enzymes.
If you want broad meal-time digestive support
A multi-enzyme formula can provide several enzyme activities in one product. Follow the current label and evaluate your own response over time. Do not use symptom improvement to self-diagnose a medical condition.
If symptoms are frequent, worsening, or unexplained
Speak with a physician or qualified healthcare professional. Persistent bloating, diarrhea, constipation, reflux, or abdominal discomfort may need evaluation for causes unrelated to enzyme intake. Seek prompt care for severe or constant abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, difficulty swallowing, black or bloody stools, jaundice, loss of appetite, or unintended weight loss.
If you suspect celiac disease or pancreatic insufficiency
Do not rely on an over-the-counter enzyme blend. Ask about appropriate testing and treatment before substantially changing your diet.
Frequently asked questions about digestive enzymes
What do digestive enzymes do?
They help break larger food components into smaller pieces. Different enzymes act on proteins, fats, carbohydrates, lactose, and selected fibers.
Are gas and burping signs that I am low in digestive enzymes?
Not by themselves. Gas and burping are common and may result from swallowed air, food composition, bacterial fermentation, lactose intolerance, reflux, or several other causes. A recurring symptom pattern deserves a broader look.
Can digestive enzymes help with lactose?
Lactase specifically breaks down lactose and can help some people with lactose intolerance when taken with dairy. Response depends on the amount of lactose, the amount of lactase, and the individual.
Can DPP-IV make gluten safe for someone with celiac disease?
No. DPP-IV-containing digestive supplements should not be used to make gluten safe or to replace a strict gluten-free diet in celiac disease.
When should digestive enzymes be taken?
Digestive enzymes are generally taken with food so they can mix with the meal, but products differ. Follow the current label for Dr. Tennant’s® Digestive Enzyme Formula and ask a healthcare professional if you are unsure whether it is appropriate for you.
Learn More About Dr. Tennant's® Digestive Enzymes
Digestive Enzyme User Guide – Click to download
Explore more products selected to support digestive wellness in our Digestive Health collection, or visit The Rejuvenation Blog for additional educational articles.
It’s your body. It’s your life. Ingredients matter.
Featured Products in This Article:
Dr. Tennant’s® Digestive Enzyme Formula
Contains 27 enzyme activities, including additional DPP-IV activity, to support the digestion of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, dairy, grains, and selected fibers. Not a substitute for a gluten-free diet in celiac disease.
Written by: Tennant Products Editorial Team
Nutrition review by: Patsy Scott, CHN (Certified Holistic Nutritionist)
Last updated: September 2026
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Products and statements made by Tennant Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult your physician or another qualified healthcare provider about a medical condition and before starting a new supplement.
