What do digestive enzymes do?

Everything you eat has to be taken apart before your body can use it. A piece of bread, a portion of chicken, a spoonful of olive oil: each is made of large molecules, far too big for the body to use as they are. Digestive enzymes are the tools that cut them down to size.

This article explains what an enzyme is, which digestive enzymes your body makes and where, which foods naturally contain enzymes, and what an enzyme supplement such as Goodness Digestive Enzymes is, and what it is not.

What is an enzyme?

The US National Library of Medicine describes enzymes as complex proteins that cause a specific chemical change. Helping to break down the foods we eat, so that the body can use them, is one example; blood clotting is another. Enzymes are found in every organ and cell of the body, including saliva, the gastric juice of the stomach and the fluids of the intestine.

The word that matters is "specific". Each enzyme works on a particular kind of molecule. An enzyme that works on starch leaves fat alone, and one that works on protein does nothing to sugars. That is why digestion relies on a whole team of enzymes rather than a single one.

What does digestion turn food into?

According to NIDDK, part of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the digestive system breaks nutrients into parts small enough for the body to use:

• proteins into amino acids;
• fats into fatty acids and glycerol;
• carbohydrates into simple sugars.

Enzymes carry out this chemical cutting, but they do not work alone. The NIH describes two kinds of help: movement, such as chewing, squeezing and mixing, and digestive juices, such as stomach acid, bile and enzymes. Chewing makes pieces smaller, the muscles of the stomach and intestine mix food with the digestive juices, and bile from the liver helps with fats. Enzymes then split the large molecules apart.

Which enzymes does your body make, and where?

The NIH describes enzymes being added at several points along the digestive tract:

The pancreas has a central role: its juice carries enzymes for all three of the large nutrient groups, and it reaches the small intestine through small ducts. That is where most of the breakdown is completed.

The gut has helpers of its own, too. The NIH notes that bacteria in the small intestine make some of the enzymes needed to digest carbohydrates, and that bacteria in the large intestine help break down the nutrients that remain.

Do some foods contain enzymes too?

Yes. A few fruits are known for enzymes that break down protein:

• Pineapple. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) describes bromelain as a group of enzymes that break down proteins, found in the stem and fruit of the pineapple plant.
• Papaya. Papain is obtained from the papaya plant. A 2025 review of food enzymes in the journal Food Science & Nutrition describes papain as able to break down practically any protein found in meat.
• Kiwi fruit and figs. The same review describes actinidin, from kiwi fruit, and ficin, from fig latex, as other plant enzymes that act on protein.

The food industry puts this to use. According to the review, bromelain and papain are used to soften meat and in baking, and actinidin is also used to tenderise meat.

These sources describe where the enzymes come from and what they do to protein in food. They do not say how much enzyme a portion of fruit provides once it is eaten, so this article makes no such claim.

What is an enzyme supplement?

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) describes food supplements as concentrated sources of nutrients or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect, sold in measured forms such as capsules, tablets or liquids. In the European Union, they are regulated as foods.

An enzyme supplement brings together enzymes that work on food. Goodness Digestive Enzymes contains 13 enzymes, from microbial and plant sources including pineapple and papaya. It is a food supplement that supports healthy digestion.

Which foods do the 13 enzymes work on?

The 13 enzymes are grouped by the food they work on. Each group has its own article:

• Protein. Protease, bromelain and papain help break down protein from meat, fish, eggs, dairy and legumes. Read more in Protein enzymes: protease, bromelain and papain.
• Starch and sugars. Amylase, glucoamylase, lactase and alpha-galactosidase help break down starch, milk sugar and the complex sugars in beans and lentils. Read more in Carbohydrate enzymes: amylase, lactase and more.
• Fats. Lipase helps break down fats and oils. Read more in Lipase and fat digestion.
• Plant fibre. Cellulase, hemicellulase, xylanase, pectinase and beta-glucanase help break down fibre in vegetables, fruit and grains. Read more in Fibre enzymes.

The first three groups match the foods your own enzymes work on: protein, starch and sugars, and fats. The fourth is different: a 2017 review in the journal Gut Microbes notes that human enzymes are not able to digest most fibres. The fibre article explains why.

The Ingredients page lists every enzyme with its role.

What is an enzyme supplement not?

A food supplement is not a medicine. Under EU rules, food supplements may not be presented as having medicinal properties against any human disease. A supplement also has limits worth knowing:

• It does not replace a varied diet. EFSA notes that the labels of food supplements must say they should not be used as a substitute for a varied diet.
• It does not replace a diagnosis. If you have ongoing digestive complaints, see a doctor.
• It is not for everyone. Goodness Digestive Enzymes is for adults. It is not recommended for children, or for pregnant or breastfeeding women. If you take medication or are under medical care, ask your doctor or pharmacist before use. NCCIH points out that supplements may interact with medicines, and that many have not been tested in pregnant women, nursing mothers or children. Read more in Digestive enzymes, medicines and allergies.

When do enzymes fit into the day?

Because enzymes work on food, timing is tied to meals. The article When should you take digestive enzymes? explains why, and the How to use page gives the directions and the safety notes in one place. Other common questions are answered in the FAQ.