What are the most common symptoms of low digestive enzyme levels?
The most common symptoms of low digestive enzyme levels include not only digestive issues, but also physical and mood symptoms. Watch integrative gastroenterologist Robynne Chutkan, MD, explain the symptoms that low digestive enzymes can cause.
Transcript
Low digestive enzymes can also cause mood symptoms. They can cause things like headache, insomnia, fatigue,
and mood swings. [MUSIC PLAYING]
So some of the most common symptoms of low digestive enzyme levels are, of course, going to be in your digestive tract, things like bloating, constipation, diarrhea, fatty, oily stool.
These are all signs and symptoms that something might be wrong with your digestive enzymes. So for example, if you look at fatty, oily stools,
if the fat in your food isn't being broken down properly, the fat can't get absorbed through your gut
into your bloodstream and transported to the cells. So what happens instead is the fat ends up in the stool, and you see your stools have an oily sheen to them.
So that's a direct example of insufficient enzyme activity leading to fatty stool. Low digestive enzymes can also cause physical symptoms.
They can cause things like thinning hair, brittle nails, dull skin, and these are usually a sign of protein deficiency.
Protein is very important to build new tissue, so things that are turning over a lot, like your nails and your skin and your hair,
if you're low in protein, these will be affected. Low digestive enzymes can also cause mood symptoms.
It can cause things like headache, insomnia, fatigue, and mood swings. If you don't have sufficient amylase,
you may not be breaking carbohydrate down properly, and you really need carbohydrate for energy. So if your carbohydrate metabolism
is affected because amylase is low, you can have unstable blood sugar, and this can lead to mood swings and fatigue and a lot
digestive health
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