為什麼要謹慎對待消化酶補充劑?
Does your digestion leave something to be desired? If you often experience discomfort after eating, you're not alone. According to the National Institutes of Health, 60 to 70 million Americans are affected by digestive diseases. Many are trying a fairly new but growing category of supplements called digestive enzymes, which may help the body break down compounds in food.
你的消化系統是否還有待改進？進食後你是否會有不適感？你不是一個人！據美國國立衞生研究院統計，6000至7000萬美國人都患有消化系統疾病。很多人都在嘗試一種相對較新但卻日益增長的補充劑--消化酶補充劑，該補充劑或有助於身體分解食物中的化合物。These supplements typically contain a variety of digestive enzymes such as amylases, lipases and proteases. A report by Transparency Market Research estimates that the global market for digestive enzyme supplements, worth $358 million in 2016, is expected to grow to more than $1 billion by 2025.
通常情況下，這些補充劑含有一系列的消化酶，包括澱粉酶、脂肪酶和蛋白酶。透明市場研究機構（Transparency Market Research）的一份報告表示，2016年全球消化酶補充劑市場價值3.58億美元，預計到2025年，其市值將超過10億美元。Morning or night? With food or without?
早上吃還是晚上吃？在進食還是不進食的前提下吃？
Promotions for some of these supplements do more than promise they will cure digestive ailments. They also claim the supplements will help people lose weight, think more clearly and even give people the ability to eat foods they're allergic to. But before I explain why these supplements aren't all they're cracked up to be, and could even be dangerous, here's a quick lesson on how enzymes fit into the digestive process.
某些補充劑的營銷手段不僅僅是承諾它們能治療消化系統疾病。營銷人員還聲稱，這些補充劑將有助於人們減輕體重、更清晰地思考、甚至能讓人吃一些過敏食物。在解釋這些補充劑或許並不如其被吹捧的那般有效（甚至可能很危險）前，先快速瞭解酶在消化系統中的工作情況吧。What exactly are digestive enzymes?
消化酶究竟是什麼？
Digestive enzymes are proteins your body produces and uses to break down your food into energy and nutrients. They differ from probiotics, which are bacteria or yeasts that offer health benefits, and prebiotics, which are fibers and other non-digestible compounds that promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria. Specific types of enzymes break down carbohydrates, proteins or fats. Digestive enzymes are released and mix with your food throughout digestion, starting in the mouth and continuing in the stomach, pancreas, liver and small intestine.
消化酶是身體產生的蛋白質，可將食物分解成能量和營養素。消化酶與益生菌不同，益生菌是帶來健康益處的細菌或酵母，而益生元是纖維和促進腸道細菌健康生長的其它不易消化的化合物。特定類型的酶能分解碳水化合物、蛋白質或脂肪。消化酶在消化過程中釋放，並與食物混合，始於口腔，繼而延續在胃部、胰腺、肝臟和小腸中。When your body doesn't produce enough of certain digestive enzymes, undigested compounds can make their way into your large intestine and cause unpleasant symptoms - such as the gas some experience after eating beans - or rob your body of essential energy and nutrients.
當身體沒有產生足夠的消化酶時，未消化的化合物就會進入大腸，帶來令人不快的症狀--比如吃完豆類會放屁--甚至會帶走人體必需的能量和營養。Digestive enzyme supplements
消化酶補充劑Lately, consumers have been purchasing over-the-counter digestive enzyme supplements that contain combinations of many different enzymes. These formulations haven't been regulated or scientifically evaluated for effectiveness, and people are taking them without a doctor's recommendation, which could be dangerous.
近來，很多消費者都在購買含多種酶的組合非處方消化酶補充劑。這些補充劑的配方尚未受到有效監管或得到有據的科學評估，而且很多人是在未經醫生建議的情況下服用這些補充劑的，可能會帶來危險。
