Best Digestive Enzymes to Beat the Bloat

We need digestive enzymes to completely break down food, which improves digestion and nutrient absorption. 

But as we age, our bodies produce fewer digestive enzymes, which can lead to uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms and the need for supplements.

If you’re in the market for a digestive enzyme that supports a variety of food breakdown, from beans to Brie to brussels sprouts, keep reading for our top six picks and why we chose them.

Top 6 Best Digestive Enzymes

Brand	Benefits	Main Ingredients	Cost
Enzymedica Digest Gold	Proprietary technology works in all pHs of the GI tract; Potent enzyme formula to break down all types of carbohydrates, fats, fiber, and protein; Contains ingredients to boost energy and improve nutrient absorption	High doses of 13 digestive enzymes; Energy blend of ATP, magnesium citrate, and CoQ10	$51.99 for 90 capsules ($0.57 per serving)
Ancient Nutrition Digestive Enzymes	Breaks down carbohydrates, fats, fiber, and protein; Supports gut microbiome; Reduces constipation, gas, and bloating	12 digestive enzymes and prebiotic fiber; Fermented botanicals and functional mushrooms; 2 billion CFUs of probiotics	$39.95 for 30 capsules ($3.99 per serving)
NOW Super Enzymes	Contains natural enzymes from papaya and pineapple; Betaine HCl raises stomach acidity to support digestion	Betaine HCl, ox bile extract, papaya, bromelain (from pineapple), and 5 other enzymes	$39.99 for 180 capsules ($0.22 per serving)
Hi-Health Digestive Enzyme Complex	Contains unique ingredients to improve digestion, gas, and constipation; Good for breakdown of fatty foods	Adsorptive diatomaceous earth, ox bile extract, papain (from papaya), and pancreatic enzymes	$24.99 for 90 capsules ($0.28 per serving)
Solaray Super Digestaway	Breaks down protein, fat, and simple carbohydrates; Peppermint and ginger help with bloating	Plant enzymes like papaya, ginger, peppermint, and aloe; Pancreatic enzymes, betaine HCl, and porcine bile powder	$28.99 for 180 capsules ($0.16 per serving)
Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract – Cleanse & Digestion Formula	Garlic extract supports immunity; Good for people with minor digestive issues	Aged garlic extract, ginger, and 3 digestive enzymes	$29.39 for 200 capsules ($0.15 per serving)

Best Overall: Enzymedica Digest Gold with ATPro

Best for: People needing the maximum amount of digestive support for a wide range of foods.

As our best overall digestive enzyme supplement, Enzymedica Digest Gold with ATPro contains 13 digestive enzymes and a blend of compounds including ATP and coenzyme Q10 to boost energy and facilitate digestion and nutrient absorption. 

Enzymedica uses a proprietary Thera-blend™ technology that enables the enzymes to function throughout the varying pHs of the digestive tract. 

The vast quantity of digestive enzymes in this supplement facilitates the breakdown of all foods, including fiber, carbohydrates, cruciferous vegetables, beans, protein, fat, and dairy products.

Uniquely, this supplement contains cellular energy in the form of the ATP, which can help cells better absorb nutrients. 

It also has coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)—as a coenzyme, CoQ10 helps other enzymes (like these 13 digestive enzymes) work better in the body. 

Best Gut-Supporting Formula: Ancient Nutrition Digestive Enzymes

Best for: People able to spend extra money on a high-strength supplement to heal their digestive issues.

With a combination of digestive enzymes, prebiotics, probiotics, and functional ingredients, Ancient Nutrition Digestive Enzymes are an expertly formulated supplement to target gut issues from all angles.

As opposed to other supplements, which just use digestive enzymes, Ancient Nutrition blends over a dozen compounds to facilitate digestion and reduce gas, bloating, and constipation. 

The primary digestive enzymes in this supplement are cellulase to break down fibers, protease to break down protein, lipase to digest fat, lactase for dairy, and amylase for starchy carbohydrates.

It also contains natural plant enzymes, like bromelain—derived from pineapple—and kiwifruit, which has a protease (enzyme for protein breakdown) called actinidain. 

Plus, this supplement has the benefit of 2 billion CFUs of probiotics, prebiotic fiber from flax seed, and a functional botanical and mushroom blend—fermented turkey tail mushroom, ginger, turmeric, and black pepper—making it one of the best digestive enzymes for bloating.

Best on a Budget: NOW Super Enzymes

Best for: People on a budget needing help with food breakdown other than dairy. 

NOW Super Enzymes are formulated with bromelain, ox bile, pancreatin, and papain—an enzyme derived from papaya—to optimize the breakdown of fats, carbohydrates, and protein.

Specifically, ox bile helps with fat breakdown, while pancreatin is a mixture of pancreatic enzymes that digest all three macronutrients. 

However, this supplement doesn’t contain lactase to help digest dairy, which many people require enzymes for. 

Best for Digesting Fatty Foods: Hi-Health Digestive Enzyme Complex

Best for: People who have trouble digesting high-fat meals.

The Hi-Health Digestive Enzyme Complex is great for people who struggle with the digestion of fatty foods, like steak, heavy cream, bacon, and oils. 

This is because the ox bile extract, lipase, and duodenum substance (enzymes released from the duodenum in the small intestine) facilitate fat breakdown. 

Uniquely, this Hi-Health supplement contains adsorptive diatomaceous earth, which is a source of the mineral silica and thought to relieve constipation. 

However, while it’s great for breaking down the fat in dairy, this supplement won’t help if you have an intolerance to lactose—the main sugar in the dairy—because it doesn’t have lactase.

Best Natural Ingredients: Solaray Super Digestaway

Best for: People who like taking supplements with natural plant-based ingredients. 

Solaray Super Digestaway contains several plant enzymes, making this a good option for people wanting more natural supplements. 

In addition to providing four times the typical amount of pancreatic enzymes, Solaray Super Digestaway contains the enzymes papain from papaya and bromelain from pineapple, plus peppermint and ginger to alleviate bloating and aloe vera gel to soothe the gut. 

Plus, this supplement uniquely offers porcine bile powder, an ingredient sometimes used in traditional Chinese medicine practices that is thought to facilitate fat digestion and liver function.

However, the enzymes in this supplement are mostly primed for protein, fat, and simple carbohydrate breakdown—not dairy or fibrous carbohydrates like beans or cruciferous vegetables.

Best for Immune and Digestive Support: Kyolic Cleanse & Digestion

Best for: People with minor digestive issues. 

The Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract Cleanse & Digestion Formula contains 600mg of aged garlic extract, which is beneficial for immunity and cardiovascular health.

It also provides ginger and the enzymes lipase, protease, and glucanase to digest beta-glucans in grains like wheat, oats, and rye. 

Although this supplement doesn’t contain as many digestive enzymes as others, it can be helpful for people with minor digestive problems who don’t need large or diverse quantities of enzymes. 

What Are Digestive Enzymes?

Enzymes are proteins that help speed up a reaction in the body—in the case of digestive enzymes, these proteins help facilitate the breakdown of food into smaller building blocks that our cells can use.

There are dozens of enzymes that are involved with food breakdown, but the three primary digestive enzyme families include: 

• Amylase: Breaks down starchy carbohydrates into single sugars like glucose. 
• Protease: Breaks down protein into amino acids.
• Lipase: Breaks down fats into fatty acids and glycerol molecules.

However, there are dozens of other enzymes that we can supplement with to help us break down and absorb foods, many of which were found in the supplements above. 

Some examples include: 

Digestive Enzyme	What Does It Break Down?
Bromelain	Found naturally in pineapple and helps break down protein.
Papain	Found naturally in papaya and helps break down protein.
Cellulase and hemicellulase	Plant fibers and cell walls, like those in fruits and vegetables.
Phytase	Phytates, which are the primary form of phosphorus found in plants like beans, grains, and nuts.
Pectinase	Pectin, which is found in the cell walls of plants like apples, citrus fruits, carrots, and apricots.
Invertase	Breaks down sucrose (table sugar) into smaller sugars (glucose and fructose).
Beta-glucanase	Breaks down beta-glucan fibers found in grains like oats and barley.
Alpha-galactosidase	For the carbohydrates found in beans and legumes.
Lactase	Breaks down dairy sugars (lactose).

FAQs About Digestive Enzymes

Key Takeaways

• We need enzymes to completely break down food, which improves digestion, nutrient absorption, and reduces uncomfortable GI symptoms. 
• Our top choice for a broad-spectrum digestive enzyme is Enzymedica Digest Gold with ATPro.
• If you have specific digestion concerns—like dairy or beans—look for single enzyme supplements; otherwise, broad-spectrum digestive enzymes can be beneficial.