Comprehensive Digestive Enzymes and Probiotic Formula for Optimal GI Support
Critical Digestion™ represents a very potent digestive enzyme blend. The formula utilizes high potency plant-based enzymes and beneficial probiotics. They provide critical digestive support and help to reestablish healthy gut microorganisms.
Its comprehensive panel of digestive enzymes aids healthy digestion and optimizes nutrient absorption from macronutrients – protein, carbohydrates, and fats.
Digestive Enzymes Help Unlock the Energy and Nutrition from Food
Besides enjoying what we eat, food provides the energy that humans use to function. Enzymes are an essential part of this process — necessary for digestion and metabolism.
If our bodies can’t unlock the energy from food, then we can’t properly nourish our bodies!
The Body’s Response to Insufficient Digestive Enzymes – Gas and Inflammation
When digestive enzymes are insufficient*, undigested food passes into the large intestine, often resulting in uncomfortable symptoms like gas.
You might be surprised that the undigested food doesn’t go to waste! In fact, the intestinal flora take advantage of it. They use it for their own source of nutrition!
Gassiness is a side effect of bacterial digestion and yeast fermentation. The excess production of gases like hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane commonly result in uncomfortable symptoms.
In addition to the discomfort, this scenario can also drive an imbalance in the gut flora composition and even damage the lining of the gut. The body’s response is often inflammation.
Critical Digestion — A Supplemental Source of Key Digestive Enzymes
When you are not making enough digestive enzymes on your own, Critical Digestion can provide the support your body needs. In addition, Critical Digestion contains probiotics that can help reestablish healthy gut flora, support regularity and aid the immune system. The probiotics also fuel the digestive system by producing additional lactase, protease and amylase enzymes, and manufacture some essential vitamins.
Critical Digestion is a full spectrum digestive formula that helps digest proteins, fats and carbohydrates. It also contains some enzymes for digesting gluten, dairy, and vegetable fibers, and dietary fibers.
Digestive Enzymes and Detoxification
According to Walter Crinnion, ND, digestive enzymes can also help reduce and increase the elimination of toxins in your body. I’d like to share with you Dr. Crinnion’s article, “Digestive Enzymes and Detoxification.” . In a very understandable way, he explains how digestive enzymes can help reduce the toxic load so many of us carry around.
Digestive Enzymes for Food Intolerances
If you are looking for a digestive enzyme nutritional supplement that is specifically formulated to help people with a problem digesting gluten, dairy, casein and/or phenol you might try Intolerance Complex.
*(A healthy diet that includes raw foods is a good source of enzymes, however, if we don’t get enough enzymes from food and if our body does not make enough of them, common as we get older, our bodies can have an insufficient amount of them available for proper digestion.)
Many people begin with Complete Digestionas it provides a “good coverage” of digestive enzymes for a reasonable price.
If they require a more potent digestive enzyme (more proteases, amylases lipases and across the board more other enzymes), they then try Critical Digestion.
People with specific food sensitivities often utilize Intolerance Complexin situations when they are unable to avoid foods they have trouble digesting or are eating out and not exactly sure how their meal is prepared.
Critical Digestion – Ingredients
Amylase Thera-blend – contains multiple strains of enzymes responsible for breaking down carbohydrates, such as starch and glycogen, into smaller sugars.
Protease Thera-blend – this proprietary formula contains multiple strains of protease (enzymes for digesting proteins). Protease supplementation may assist and enhance the digestion of foods, therefore allowing the availability of nutrients to be utilized by the body.
Glucoamylase – an enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates to yield glucose units. Glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream and is utilized as energy for the body.
DPP-IV – Dipeptidyl peptidase-IV is a proteolytic enzyme specific for breaking down gluten and casein proteins. Proteases high in DPP-IV activity assist in normalizing inflammatory responses to gluten peptides, thus better digesting and utilizing gluten containing foods.
Alpha-Galactosidase – an enzyme specific for digesting carbohydrates found in legumes, grains and vegetables known to cause occasional symptoms of gas and bloating. Research studies have proven alpha-galactosidase to be effective for reducing discomforts associated with consumption of these foods.
ATPro Blend – is a blend of ATP (Adenosine-5-Triphosphate) and critical nutrients (magnesium citrate, alpha lipoic acid and CoQ10) that enhance ATP production. Research has shown that ATP is present in the digestive tract either by oral intake (unprocessed foods carry ATP) or by undefined cell excretion, and is used as a signaling molecule for many important processes. This signal is vital for timely, proper and complete digestion of food and nutrient absorption.
Lipase Thera-blend – contains multiple strains of lipase enzymes for catalyzing lipids to form fatty acids and glycerol.
Cellulase Thera-blend – contains multiple strains of cellulase for digesting dietary fiber. Cellulase is the only digestive enzyme our body does not produce.
Lactase – an enzyme that breaks down lactose (milk sugar) and therefore supports optimal digestion of lactose-containing foods.
Beta Glucanase – an enzyme responsible for breaking down beta D-glucan components found in plants, grains, and fiber. (This is not in Enzyme Science’s Complete Digestion or Intolerance Complex supplements.)
Xylanase – is a type of enzyme responsible for breaking down structural components of plant walls. This type of hemicellulase plays a role in digesting fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and food additives.
Maltase – an enzyme that breaks down malt and grain sugars. Maltase digests maltose into glucose molecules which can be easily absorbed into the bloodstream and be used as energy for the body.
Invertase – an enzyme responsible for breaking down sucrose, table sugar, into simple sugars glucose and fructose. These simple sugars are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and are utilized as energy for the body.
Pectinase – an enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates such as pectin found in many fruits and vegetables.
Phytase – an enzyme that breaks down phytic acid found in plants, especially brans and seeds.
Hemicellulase – a cellulase enzyme which breaks down hemicellulose polysaccharides found in plants. Hemicellose rich foods consist of brans and grains.
Probiotics Blend – Enzyme Science probiotic blend contains 8 species of beneficial Lactobacillus (L.) and Bacillus (B.) bacteria – B. subtilis, L. rhamnosus, L. casei, L. acidophilus, L. plantarum, L. bulgaricus, L. salivarius and L. paracasei.
Other Ingredients: 100% Vegetarian Capsule (cellulose, water)
Contains no dairy, egg, preservatives, salt, sucrose, soy, wheat, yeast, nuts, corn, gluten, casein, potato, rice, artificial colors or flavors. No fillers.
Critical Digestion – Suggested Use
Take 1 capsule per meal (with the first bite of food).
More may be taken as recommended by your healthcare practitioner. Consult your physician prior to use if you are pregnant or lactating.
Keep closed in dry place; avoid excessive heat.
Manufactured by Enzyme Science, Venice, FL.
Comparing Digestive Enzyme Supplements
Complete Digestion and Critical Digestion have a very similar panel of enzymes,* however, Critical Digestion has a significantly higher potency. Similarly while both provide a blend of probiotics, Critical Digestion contains about eight times more CFU’s (colony forming units) than Complete Digestion.
Both supplements encourage digestion and nutrient absorption from protein, carbohydrates, fat and fiber.
If you are not sure which one to try, you can start with Complete Digestion and see how you feel, or start immediately with Critical Digestion. Several of my clients with sensitive digestive systems (IBS, Crohn’s), prefer Complete Digestion; in their cases Critical Digestion has an undesirable laxative effect.
* Complete Digestion also does not have Beta Glucanase (responsible for breaking down beta D-glucan components found in plants, grains and fiber).
See the Description Tab of this product for table comparing digestive enzyme supplements.
Enzymes for Food Intolerances or Food Insensitivity
If you are experiencing food intolerances or food insensitivity to certain foods, such as wheat products, dairy or beans or vegetables, I would suggest checking out Intolerance Complex. Its panel of digestive enzymes is more targeted toward these issues.
