Health Benefits of Lipase

Lipase is a digestive enzyme produced in the pancreas. It helps to digest the fats that you eat to help your gut receive the fat-soluble nutrients, especially vitamins A, D, E, and K. This means that your body can only access these nutrients when there is fat present as well, to help metabolize them and increase health. It aids the soothing of common effects of indigestion. These uncomfortable symptoms can result from inefficiently digesting fat as a result of inadequate amounts of lipase in the body.

A Partner Enzyme

Lipase functions best when it partners with other digestive enzymes to break down your entire balanced meal. Lipase is often taken in combination with the two other vital enzymes: protease and amylase. While lipase breaks down fats, protease helps metabolize proteins, and amylase takes care of the carbohydrates. When all of these enzymes are at the proper level in your body, your digestion moves at the proper pace, and you’re able to realize the health benefits of the foods you’re eating.

Breaks Down Dietary Fats

During the digestive process, lipase is the enzyme that digests the fat. It acts as a catalyst and breaks down oils and solid fats into their compounds. These are diglycerides, free fatty acids, monoglycerides, and glycerol. These different compounds in dietary fat serve different purposes in your body, including boosting cognitive function, helping metabolize vitamins, and improving liver function. There are three different kinds of lipase. The stomach produces gastric lipase and its primary purpose is to digest fatty acids. Pharyngeal lipase is secreted by the human salivary glands and attacks fatty acids from the moment the food is inside the mouth. Finally, hepatic lipase is a digestive enzyme produced by the liver.

Manages Triglyceride Levels

Lipase is one of several pancreatic enzymes that produce a specific function. It is a fat-splitting enzyme found in the blood, gastric juices, pancreatic secretions, intestinal juices, and body fat. It breaks down the dietary fats like triglycerides into their separate fatty acid and glycerol molecules. Your body uses triglycerides for energy, and it helps form glucose. While you do need some triglycerides for good health, high triglyceride levels can raise your risk for heart disease. Lipase helps to manage the levels of triglycerides in your bloodstream.

Helps Manage Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is an auto-immune condition that causes inflammation of the small intestine when gluten is eaten. This flare-up can lead to uncomfortable digestive issues, like cramps, bloating, gas, and either diarrhea or constipation. Supplementing with lipase and other pancreatic enzymes can help the digestive system calm itself, reducing flare-ups and increasing weight gain – rapid or unintentional weight loss can be a side effect of celiac disease.

Manage Symptoms of  Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis causes excess mucus to form in the gut, which means that digestion and nutrient absorption can be challenging. It prevents pancreatic enzymes from reaching the intestines and inhibits proper digestion. Some with cystic fibrosis have found that supplementing with lipase can help reduce the mucus and encourage more enzymes to reach the gut and stay there. With adequate levels of this enzyme in the body, essential fatty acids and fat-soluble nutrients can be digested and used in the body. Specifically, lipase helps the body utilize vitamins A, D, E and K.

Improve Gallbladder Function

The gallbladder functions to store cholesterol-rich bile secreted by the liver. Bile, along with lipase, helps your body digest fatty foods. If you have gallbladder issues or don’t have a gallbladder at all, then a supplement containing lipase can help with this digestion. It helps your body digest the dietary fats – and without a gallbladder, or one with poor function, this can be tricky. The fats either aren’t absorbed, or your boy isn’t able to properly digest them. With the extra lipase, some of these digestive issues are mitigated.

Help with IBS

Irritable Bowel Syndrome produces uncomfortable digestive issues like gas, bloating, and diarrhea. Supplementing with lipase can help with inflammation in the gut, reducing the severity and flare-ups of IBS. Some people with IBS actually have exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, which is the inability to properly digest food due to a lack of digestive enzymes made by the pancreas. Adding a lipase supplement can improve digestion, giving your body the proper amount of enzymes that it needs.

Boost Cardiovascular Health

Lipase breaks down fas for digestion. When your body lacks the amount necessary for this, higher, unhealthy levels of cholesterol and triglycerides can build up in the bloodstream. This, in turn, can directly contribute to cardiovascular issues. As triglycerides increase along with LDL cholesterol, fat is deposited along the walls of your arteries. This causes high blood pressure and increases the risk of blockage, heart attack, or stroke. Adequate amounts of lipase break down the fat and reduce the levels of triglycerides and cholesterol.

Improve Nutrient Absorption

Many vitamins, such as A, B, D, and K, are fat-soluble – that is, for your body to absorb them and use them, fat needs to be present to facilitate the process. Without proper amounts of dietary fats, your body can have a deficiency in one or more of these. Those with nutrient malabsorption issues can benefit from supplementing with lipase.

Aid Weight Loss Goals

Dietary fats aren’t just an important macronutrient. They also contribute to feelings of fullness and satiety when eaten. Certain diets encourage meals high in healthy fats, such as coconut oil, avocado, and animal fats. These can lead to remarkable weight loss, but if your body is unable to digest fats due to low lipase levels, you won’t receive the benefits from eating the fat. This can lead to blood sugar spikes, which cause cravings. For weight loss goals, if you follow a high-fat eating plan, then make sure your lipase levels are high or supplement with the enzyme.