Eat and drink a lot during festivals, indigestion, supplement enzymes to eliminate stagnation, be careful about gaining weight

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Text◆Li Xinmin, Zhi Weiqing “Ming Pao”

Feeling full or indigestion after eating a lot? Strong tea fails to relieve gastrointestinal discomfort. There are various digestive enzyme products on the market that claim to eliminate stagnation, and some even claim to be antioxidants and detoxifiers. Are they really effective? What exactly are digestive enzymes?

If you eat too much and feel too stagnant, can you eat pineapple, kiwi, papaya, etc. to help digestion? To maintain a healthy digestive system, how to establish good eating habits in daily life?

(Hong Kong News) Carbohydrates, proteins and fats ingested from food are relatively complex in structure and must be broken down before they can be absorbed by the body. Wang Zhitao, a specialist in gastroenterology and hepatology, pointed out that common digestive enzymes (digestive enzymes) include amylase , protein enzymes, lipase and lactase, responsible for breaking down food.

Nutritionist Liang Xiyun, training and development director of the Hong Kong Nutritionists Association, pointed out that there are many types of digestive enzymes. Protein enzymes can break down proteins into amino acids; amylase can break down starches into sugars; and lipases can break down complex fatty acids into Simple fatty acids or glycerol.

Wang Zhitao continued that when eating, different tissues of the body secrete digestive juices (see picture), which contain various digestive enzymes. When the enzymes come into contact with food, they begin to break down the food, cutting the food like scissors, making the food easier to be absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract. .

Enzymes do not burn calories

“Eating too much during the holidays can lead to stagnation and discomfort. Digestive enzyme products can help to speed up digestion.” Liang Xiyun explained that because the digestive system has too much “workload” and cannot produce enough enzymes on its own to cope with it, supplements provide additional enzymes to assist in decomposition. Food is helpful for eliminating stagnation, “but digestive enzymes are easily affected by temperature and pH. After entering the stomach, they may be destroyed by gastric acid, and their effectiveness will be reduced.”

With the help of digestive enzyme products, can you eat as much as you want? She reminded that enzymes do not burn calories, and if you eat too much and supplement with additional enzymes, you will risk gaining weight. “If you only absorb 80% of the calories in a daily meal, if you supplement with extra enzymes, you may absorb 90%. It will be decomposed faster, which will also make the absorption easier, increase the caloric intake, and increase the risk of obesity.” So “there is a lesson.” If you eat too much, you still need to exercise to burn off calories.

In addition, there are digestive enzyme products on the market that claim to reduce gastric acidity, heartburn, flatulence and other problems. Wang Zhitao reminds you that you need to pay attention to the causes of symptoms and product ingredients. Digestive enzyme products may not be able to improve all the above problems.

“Take hyperacidity as an example. Digestive enzyme products are of little use. First, if gastric acid is caused by eating foods that stimulate gastric acid secretion, such as sour and spicy foods, and is not difficult to digest, supplementing with digestive enzymes may not solve the problem; second, “Acid reflux is mostly caused by excess stomach acid, and treatment should be to neutralize stomach acid rather than help break down food.”

Heartburn or unrelated digestion

Wang Zhitao added that for gastric acid problems, you should take gastric acid-suppressing drugs prescribed by your doctor. If you are troubled by acid reflux and do not have medication, you can try drinking half a cup to 1 cup of low-fat milk. It will temporarily act as a protective film in the stomach to reduce the contact between gastric acid and gastric mucosa, which may help relieve gastric discomfort.

“As for heartburn, it may be due to excess stomach acid or reflux, and may not be related to indigestion; the treatment direction is to reduce stomach acid rather than supplement digestive enzymes.”

He said that if flatulence is caused by insufficient levels of lactase in the body, such as those suffering from lactose intolerance, he pointed out that it may be improved by supplementing additional lactase. Under normal circumstances, the lactase enzyme on the villi of the small intestinal mucosa will help break down food, breaking down disaccharides into two monosaccharides, glucose and galactose, to facilitate absorption by the small intestinal mucosa. When lactase is insufficient, the lactose that cannot be broken down will be sent to the large intestine. The process of digesting lactose in the large intestine produces gas, causing flatulence.

Liang Xiyun said that in addition to people with lactose intolerance, the elderly may also need to supplement enzymes under the guidance of a doctor due to declining body functions and reduced enzyme secretion, resulting in poor digestive function.

In addition, Wang Zhitao pointed out that patients with chronic pancreatitis have damaged pancreatic cell function and cannot effectively secrete lipase to digest fat in the body, resulting in symptoms such as diarrhea and long-term abdominal pain. Such patients can supplement lipase according to the doctor’s instructions.

A balanced diet secretes enzymes

There are digestive enzyme products that claim to be antioxidant and detoxifying. Liang Xiyun read the product introduction and description but found no specific research data to support it. First of all, digestive enzyme products are mostly made from fruits and vegetables. It is not surprising that they contain antioxidant ingredients. However, the production process involves processing procedures. “Antioxidants such as vitamin C are often destroyed, so it is difficult to judge whether eating these supplements will help them.” How many nutrients are taken in, so it is more recommended to eat prototype food.”

In terms of detoxification, she noticed that some products add dietary fiber, such as fiber powder, indigestible dextrin, etc., to provide fiber and help defecation.

“One of the enzyme drinks contains 1.8 grams of dietary fiber per 30 ml.

The fiber content is not too low.

However, adults are recommended to consume 25 grams of dietary fiber per day.

If you don’t eat fruits and vegetables, just relying on enzyme products to absorb dietary fiber is not enough.

Eat more fruits and vegetables in your daily diet,

Or choose starchy foods with higher fiber content.

It is easy to achieve 1.8 grams of dietary fiber intake. “

She emphasized that eating more fruits and vegetables in your daily diet is a source of fiber and antioxidants; fresh fruits and vegetables are cheaper than these products and contain other nutrients.

Stay healthy and take fewer medications

“A balanced diet can allow the body to secrete enough digestive enzymes; to maintain health, it is better to take less medicine.” Wang Zhitao reminded that because the clinical testing of digestive enzyme products is not as rigorous as Western medicine, the quality of different products varies greatly, and it cannot be determined. To determine the product’s ingredients, potency, risks, side effects, etc., it is best to consult a gastroenterologist before considering taking digestive enzyme products. For people with lactose intolerance and chronic pancreatitis, simply consuming enzymes from natural foods may not be enough to provide the body with the necessary enzymes. They should follow the instructions of their doctor to supplement the enzymes they need.

Two servings per dayFruit with cheese Adjust digestive system

A bottle of digestive enzyme drink or capsule costs nearly 100 to several hundred yuan. In fact, digestive enzymes can also be found in natural foods, “for example, pineapples have bromelain enzymes, kiwi fruits have kiwi enzymes, and papayas have papaya enzymes.”

Nutritionist Liang Xiyun said that the above fruit enzymes are mainly used to break down protein, while bananas and mangoes contain enzymes that break down starch. If you want to get enzymes from fruits, choose fruits that are not fully ripe. “The enzyme content will be higher because the enzymes will be decomposed when the fruits are ripe.”

Eat 5 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day

“If you have eaten too much recently and are stagnant, you can eat pineapples, kiwi fruits, etc. as snacks between meals.” However, Liang Xiyun does not recommend eating one kind of fruit alone. You can eat artificial fruits first, and then eat enzyme-rich fruits. Fruit; two servings of fruit a day can also be eaten with cheese. It not only supplements fiber but also absorbs probiotics, which not only eliminates stagnation but also regulates the digestive system.

Wang Zhitao, a specialist in gastroenterology and hepatology, added that to maintain a healthy digestive system, you can also start with daily life and develop healthy eating habits.

“Recent studies have pointed out some habits that can help maintain a healthy digestive system, which are worth your reference: consume 5 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day, avoid eating processed meats, eat less than about 3 servings of red meat per week, and eat whole-grain carbohydrates such as wheat. Bags, etc., consume about 30 grams of fiber per day, drink less soda and alcoholic beverages, and exercise for 30 minutes or more every day.”

Avoid long-term binge eating

Liang Xiyun said that occasionally eating a buffet or eating too much is acceptable, but avoid long-term wanton overeating and pay attention to a balanced diet. “Don’t just eat meat. For example, if you eat hot pot, put a few plates of fat beef on it.” Too extreme.”

She recommends eating 7 points full, and 8 points is the limit. “Slow down, swallow slowly and chew carefully. It takes about 20 minutes for the brain to realize that you are eating and feel full.” If you eat too much too fast, When you feel full, you are already “full to the point of stagnation.”

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