How long should I take digestive enzymes to improve my digestion?

Q. I am taking digestive enzymes to improve my digestion after meals. For how long should I take them?

A. There are a couple of ways to look at it. There is research to support that taking enzymes long term takes stress off of your organs and improves all chemical reactions in your body, thereby increasing your lifespan and improving quality of life. This refers not just to digestive enzymes but also to "systemic enzymes". An example of a systemic enzyme is called Vitalzym, by World Nutrition.

However in your situation, you can take digestive enzymes to support digestion until your bacteria are replenished and you are able to produce more of your own digestive enzymes. This process of re-implantation and colonization of good bacteria can take weeks or months. Length of time needed ranges and depends on factors such as current floral balance, diet, amount of probiotics taken, inflammatory status, etc. Inclusion of healthy fish oils & a good fiber supplement and reduction of sugars, dairy & gluten will help.

The best way to know if your digestive system is back into balance is by judging your symptoms (or lack of symptoms). You can stop taking the enzymes periodically to test whether your system is supporting yourself. However you may find that regardless of your bacterial balance, digestive enzymes will still be helpful and beneficial.