Enzymes can be extremely beneficial supplements for companion animals. But as we look at the many formulations on the market, it seems there is confusion by manufacturers as to even what their product is when it comes to digestive vs. systemic enzymes.
Digestive Enzyme vs. Systemic Enzyme Formulas
Digestive enzymes are the enzymes that are specifically designed to digest the main macronutrients in foods. A typical digestive enzyme formula will usually only contain protease, lipase, amylase, and maybe a couple of other enzymes.
Systemic enzymes are those that are used by the body to power a number of metabolic processes. Systemic Enzyme formulas will contain a broad-spectrum of various enzymes.
Here’s the problem; many “digestive” formulas often make the claims associated with a systemic enzyme approach, but a digestive enzyme formula is not the same as a systemic enzyme formula. It will help with basic digestion, but will not have the profound systemic effect on overall health that a systemic formula will have:
Here are the top 9 benefits of systemic enzymes:
- Support the immune system
- Promotes respiratory health
- Helps remove toxins from the body
- Helps reduce minor food sensitivities
- Supports healthy teeth and gums
- Promotes normal body weight
- Helps maintain healthy cholesterol
- Lessens skin irritation and excessive shedding
- Increases energy levels
So here is a simple guide:
If you want an inexpensive product that primarily digests proteins, starches, and fats you could go with a pancreatic – enzyme formula.
If you want to improve digestion of foods (especially what your pet is actually eating), and you want an overall systemic benefit of enzymes, then you would go with a systemic formula.
Context and the Long-Term Approach
Choosing what is best for your animal is of course up to the owner. Our hope here is to provide you the context for making that choice, and also some insights into the Nusentia approach. No doubt, digestive enzyme formulations are helpful for acute conditions, but in a sense, they are a band-aid that hides a bigger problem. If your animal is showing signs of poor digestion, there is a root cause. Our approach at Nusentia is to deal appropriately with the short-term but work to ultimately improve long-term health of animals. This is why we chose to take the systemic enzyme approach with Enzyme Miracle™. Though in an effort to keep it simple, we often refer to it as “digestive enzymes,” it is in fact a systemic enzyme formulation (with a host of digestive enzymes included). Thus, it will improve digestion in the short-term and will work to improve overall systemic health by supporting many of the body's systems. This goes way beyond just digestive health as we outlined above.
Enzyme Miracle™ will greatly improve the health of animals. The formula comes in a convenient to use powder and is a pretty great value. For the ultimate program to support foundational Digestive health many combine with Probiotic Miracle™. Great digestion comes primarily from the health of the gut, which probiotics are the most dynamic at addressing. Again, more of the systemic, get to the root cause approach, which is our orientation at Nusentia.
Best of health to you and your animals, and we hope this helped to provide some context when you look at enzyme formulations for your pet!