Whether you are burping or breaking wind, you aren’t alone in experiencing occasional gas and bloating. These symptoms are often produced as part of the natural digestion process. They are a way for your body to get rid of extra air you have inhaled while eating or gasses created by healthy bacteria in your digestive system.
However, when you build up too much gas in your intestines, you can get uncomfortable and even painful bloating. This digestive discomfort may happen more often as you age, and it can be caused by:
- Lactose intolerance
- Drinking carbonated beverages
- Eating too fast
- A high-fat meal
- Smoking
- Chewing gum or sucking on hard candies
However, even healthy foods eaten slowly can cause gas problems. High-fiber foods like beans, broccoli and whole grains are often the culprits behind gas and bloating. It can be hard for your digestive system to break down these carbohydrates, leaving them to ferment and produce gas.
You may also experience gas if you have poor or slow digestion. High amounts of fat, carbonated beverages and even acids in foods like tomatoes can all slow down digestion. The longer food is left in your intestines, the more bacteria in your gut digests the food. These bacteria cause the food to ferment and create gas.
If gas and bloating interrupt your daily activities, you can take steps to eliminate these problems without avoiding your favorite foods. Try one of the four digestive enzyme products listed below to reduce occasional gas and bloating by supporting healthy digestion and break down of foods.
BeanAssist™
Enzymedica BeanAssist helps prevent gas before it starts. Each capsule contains Alpha Galactosidase, an enzyme that helps break down complex carbohydrates into easily digestible sugars. This enzyme is specifically for digesting the carbohydrates found in legumes, grains and vegetables. Multiple studies have shown this enzyme can reduce gas and bloating. You can take one capsule of BeanAssist with every meal containing a food that frequently causes gas – like beans, cabbage or broccoli. Just one easy-to-swallow capsule can help support healthy digestion.
VeggieGest™
Vegetarians and vegans may be particularly at risk for gas and bloating, since their diets contain so many vegetables and legumes. Enzymedica VeggieGest is specially designed to assist with the digestion of these foods, reducing the risk for gas and bloating.
These capsules also contain Alpha Galactosidase, along with a variety of enzymes that may aid digestion, such as:
- Amylase, which converts starch into digestible glucose
- Cellulase, which changes cellulose (a main component of fiber in plants) to digestible glucose
- Protease, which breaks down proteins
- Lactase, which breaks down milk protein (lactose)
By taking one capsule with each meal, you may experience better digestion and fewer incidents of gas and bloating.
Lacto™
If your gas and bloating is caused by lactose intolerance, Enzymedica Lacto may support healthy digestion of lactose, a protein in milk. As we get older, our bodies make less and less lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose. Though you may have enjoyed milk as a child, as an adult it may leave you crampy and uncomfortable. Lacto contains lactase and other digestive enzymes that break down fat and protein. You can take one capsule with every serving of dairy to encourage proper digestion of milk products.
LypoGold™
Enzymedica LypoGold contains high-potency lipase, the enzyme your body uses to break down fats. It also contains amylase to break down carbohydrates and protease to break down proteins. This combination of enzyme can support more comfortable digestion. In a laboratory study, LypoGold enzymes broke down 22 grams of fat in just 30 minutes. That’s the equivalent of about six slices of bacon!
Using LypoGold can help relieve the discomfort of digesting fatty foods while taking stress off of your gallbladder, liver and pancreas. You should take one capsule of LypoGold with each fatty meal, although you can also take it one to two hours after your meal to aid with fat digestion.
You don’t have to live with the discomfort of occasional gas and bloating (Click here for 4 ways to decrease gas and bloating). Find the right enzyme to help support your digestion and reduce gas and bloating. Explore our many digestive enzymes to choose the product that is right for you to help improve your digestive health.
