Can Digestive Enzyme Supplements Cause Dry Mouth?

Can Digestive Enzyme Supplements Cause Dry Mouth?

Overview

Digestive enzyme supplements are popular, and you may have heard they'll help treat a variety of conditions and disease processes. The truth is that few people need -- or benefit from -- digestive enzyme supplements. They're not likely to hurt you, however, nor can they cause dry mouth.

Digestive Enzymes

Digestive enzymes are proteins that the organs of your digestive tract and organs assisting your digestive tract secrete to help break down the nutrient compounds in your food. Without these enzymes, the energy-providing molecules in your food would pass undigested through your intestine, and you wouldn't be able to absorb or benefit from them. You secrete digestive enzymes throughout the digestive tract, starting with enzymes in your saliva that are secreted into the mouth.

Enzyme Deficiencies

Contrary to popular belief, digestive enzyme deficiencies are quite rare and aren't responsible for health problems like excess body fat or diabetes. If you have a digestive enzyme deficiency, you experience symptoms such as bloating and cramping when you consume foods that you can't digest. One of the more common deficiencies -- sucrase deficiency, which prevents digestion of table sugar -- occurs in only one of every 5,000 individuals, explains the U.S. National Library of Medicine's Genetics Home Reference.

Supplements and Dry Mouth

If you choose to take digestive enzyme supplements -- whether or not you actually need them -- they're not likely to hurt you. They can't cause dry mouth because enzymes are only able to participate in one kind of chemical reaction each, explain Drs. Reginald Garrett and Charles Grisham in their book "Biochemistry." Since digestive enzymes break down nutrients, they can't affect your production of saliva.

Solutions

Because enzyme deficiencies are rare -- the exception is lactose intolerance, which is not uncommon -- you should see a doctor for confirmation if you think you have one. If you don't have a deficiency, enzyme supplements won't help you. If you are experiencing dry mouth, ceasing your supplements won't help. You may simply be experiencing diminished saliva production as you age, or you may be dehydrated. Alternately, there may be another underlying health conditions that your physician can help you determine the nature of.

source : livestronge.com