Some have proposed using pepsinogen levels in the blood to help in early cancer diagnosis — though there is debate as to the usefulness of this strategy. Further studies are needed [ 19 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 20 ]. Reflux is when contents from the stomach come up the esophagus, causing issues like heartburn [ 9 ]. Pepsin from stomach juice can damage the cells in the esophagus — but residual pepsin can also be used to diagnose reflux events.
Pepsin is used to help clean leather and to remove residue from photographic film [ 34 , 35 ]. This enzyme also has applications in the food industry.
For example, it is used to prepare gelatin and hot cereals. Pepsin is not found in food since it would basically digest your food before you got a chance to eat it. The human body can produce all the pepsin it needs. The body makes more pepsin when more protein needs to be digested. A study in six healthy people indicated that pepsin is also produced at higher levels in response to ketogenic-like diet , which is higher in fat.
Because pepsin supplements are not approved by the FDA for any condition, there is no official dose. Users and supplement manufacturers have established unofficial doses based on trial and error. Discuss with your doctor if pepsin may be useful as a complementary approach in your case and which dose you should take. Pepsin only works at low pH — that is, in highly acidic environments. Although the stomach is usually naturally acidic, some pepsin supplements include HCl hydrochloric acid to ensure acidity in which the enzyme is thought to function optimally particularly in people with low stomach acid.
Betaine trimethylglycine HCl is a compound that was first isolated from sugar beets. Betaine HCl raises stomach acidic levels, which should theoretically also help pepsin work [ 44 , 45 ].
According to most practitioners, the HCl challenge goes like this: a person is told to buy a supplement with betaine HCl or betaine HCl with pepsin and take 1 capsule before a large meal. Practitioners recommend slowly increasing the dosage until you feel stomach warmth but not to an unpleasant extent. In addition to pepsin, Okra Pepsin contains extracts from okra , which has other purported health benefits , as well as fiber and mucilage.
This combined supplement does not appear to have been scientifically studied specifically, but people often use it to improve gut health. The opinions expressed in this section are solely those of the users, who may or may not have medical or scientific training. Pepsin supplements are usually produced from hog or swine pig stomachs. The product called betaine hydrochloride or betaine HCL with pepsin is recommended by some practitioners a supplemental source of hydrochloric acid for people who have low stomach acid production also called hypochlorhydria.
This may help hydrochloric acid secreted by the stomach better convert pepsinogen and aid in digestion of protein. Plus, it may offer other benefits like reducing allergies and inhibiting the overgrowth of candida.
Pepsin supplements include drugs that are available as over-the-counter pills that can be taken without a medical prescription. They are available in the form of tablets, compounding powders and capsules.
The optimal pepsin dosage you should take depends on factors like your weight, height, age, diet, lifestyle and medical history. If you need a prescription-strength pepsin medicine, your doctor will decide how much you should take. Two examples of pepsin medicines are Nuzyme Tablets and Wegazyme Syrup. If you take an over-the-counter digestive enzyme supplement, read directions carefully.
For the best results, look for a high-quality digestive enzyme blend that includes a variety of different enzymes. Some products combine HCL and pepsin to boost effects.
HCL with pepsin is a great thing you can start taking on a regular basis to help heal your GI tract, fight things like acid reflux and improve low stomach acid. HCL with pepsin is somewhat controversial, but it is typically taken while under the care of a physician.
In order to digest protein, your body requires enough stomach acid and enzymes. What happens if your stomach does not produce enough gastric juices? If you have low stomach acid , you lack HCL. HCL is needed to create the active enzyme pepsin. Hydrochloric acid is naturally created in your stomach. Pepsin was first discovered by the German physiologist named Theodor Schwann in It was one of the first digestive enzymes to be identified.
It is still considered one of the most important. This reaction requires very acidic pH, ranging between 1 to 3. The acidic environment is needed for the generation and activity of pepsin. The hydrochloric acid in the stomach generally provides a pH of about 1. The acid in the stomach causes food proteins to unfold in a process called denaturation.
Denaturation exposes the protein's molecular bonds so that pepsin can access them and break the proteins into smaller fragments, called peptides or polypeptides. The small intestine will continue to break down proteins by chopping the peptides into amino acids, which can readily be absorbed into the blood stream.
Pepsin digests proteins for several hours before the partially digested food mix is slowly transferred to the small intestine.
Mucus in the stomach protects the lining of the stomach from the potential damage by hydrochloric acid and pepsin. Glands in your stomach lining make a protein called pepsinogen. If there is a sufficiently acidic environment between 1. Pepsinogen then mixes with hydrochloric acid stomach acid and converts to pepsin. Pepsin breaks down the proteins in whatever foods are in your stomach into smaller units called peptides, which are then absorbed by the small intestine.
In the intestine, other proteases continue to break the peptides down further into amino acids that your body can use to build new proteins for itself, or to burn for fuel. Sometimes pepsin can flow backward from the stomach to the esophagus, resulting in acid reflux conditions. For this reason, traces of pepsin in the esophagus can help doctors diagnose reflux events.
Pepsin can be taken as a supplement to help with digestion. Commercial pepsin is derived from the stomachs of pigs. Due to its acidic nature, pepsin is also used to remove hair and other tissues from animal hides before they are tanned, as well as shells and scales from seafood. Pepsin does to protein in your food what a six year-old child does to a LEGO building—it dismantles it into smaller pieces. Those pieces can then be absorbed easily by the small intestine.
Pepsin is also responsible for killing bacteria in the stomach and separating vitamin B12 from protein so that the vitamin can be properly utilized.
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