Capsules are not enteric coated, probably not made in the USA
Ingredients: Amylase, Protease I, Protease II, Lipase, Lactase, Cellulase, Maltase, Invertase. Cellulose (capsule), rice flour and magnesium silicate.<br /><br />Pros:<br /><br />1. This supplement is advertised to be vegan. The capsule is probably vegan because the ingredient cellulose is listed.<br />2. This supplement is advertised as being manufactured in a facility that is compliant with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).<br />3. LionHeart states that they “test the potency of each ingredient that goes into [their] products.” Presumably, consumers are to assume that this phrase means this supplement is third-party tested. However, no mention is made here on this product page or on LionHeart’s website as to who that third party might be.<br />4. The seller offers a money back guarantee.<br /><br />Cons:<br /><br />1. No information is provided by LionHeart as to whether this supplement is produced in an FDA-registered facility.<br />2. On the LionHeart website, no address is provided for the headquarters of this company. No information is provided as to the country of origin of the ingredients of this or any of their supplements, or the country where their supplements are manufactured, or from what country they are distributed. LionHeart Supplements is not listed on Dun & Bradstreet. They are not listed with the Better Business Bureau. The only place I could find them listed is on the Justia website, a legal entity through which they have registered a number of trademarks. However, Justia provides no information to the general public as to a US street address for the corporate headquarters of LionHeart.<br />3. LionHeart has no proven track record. It seems to be a very new company, because on their website they list only six different supplements as their entire product line. So far, they specialize in digestive support.<br />4. No information is provided, either on this product page or on the LionHeart website, as to the particular plant sources of this enzyme supplement, which the company advertises as being vegan.<br />5. No mention is made, either on this product page or on the LionHeart website, that there is enteric coating on these capsules. Given the fact that this would be a huge selling point, that omission seems to be prima facie evidence that this supplement has no enteric coating. An enteric coating is a polymer coating which acts to protect medications and supplements, in this case, enzymes, from stomach acid, which destroys them (See: Kapoor and Long below). An enteric coating allows enzymes to survive stomach acid and arrive undamaged in the less acidic environment (above pH 5.0) of the small intestine. At that point, the enteric coating becomes water soluble and swells, thereby safely releasing enzymes to begin to work.<br /><br />There are two main ways to obtain supplemental digestive enzymes:<br /><br />1. Doctor prescription. For patients who have a diagnosed disease, such as cystic fibrosis, Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, deficiencies in pancreatic enzymes, chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer or tumors, removal of all or part of the pancreas, celiac disease, and Crohn's disease, a doctor can prescribe a pancreatic enzyme product (PEP). There are over 50 different PEPs on the market. A few examples include: Creon, Ku-Zyme, Kutrase, Dygase, Lipram, Palcaps and Zenpep. Most contain “pancrelipase,” a mixture of the digestive enzymes amylase, lipase, and protease. These prescription enzymes are always enteric coated. However, unfortunately, they are NOT vegan. They are virtually always made from the pancreases of pigs. In addition, they are regulated and approved by the FDA.<br /><br />2. Over-the-counter. OTC digestive enzyme supplements, such as this product, are widely available. They are not medications and are not regulated by the FDA. Unless the manufacturer explains how they are derived, these enzymes may be, as is the case with PEP, derived from animal pancreases, usually from pigs, cows, or lambs. In the past, before I did this research, I never checked to make sure that the digestive-enzyme supplements I purchased had enteric coating. But I certainly will be looking for that from now on. Without it, digestive enzymes become a useless waste of time and money.<br /><br />EXPLANATION OF INGREDIENTS<br /><br />Amylase. This is a type of digestive enzyme that is naturally produced in the human salivary glands and pancreas. It converts starch (a type of carbohydrate) into simple sugars, such as the disaccharide, maltose.<br /><br />Cellulase. Humans do not produce the enzyme cellulase in their bodies and can only partially break down cellulose (dietary fiber) through the process of fermentation in the colon (AKA large intestine AKA large bowel). Fermentation is the decomposition and utilization of cellulose by microflora (intestinal bacteria). In nature, cellulase is produced chiefly by bacteria, fungi, and protozoans. It breaks down cellulose into simple sugars such as monosaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. All plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, nuts and seeds, contain varying degrees of cellulose, sometimes as much as 50%. The processed food industry frequently utilizes powdered cellulose for its anti-caking effects. This enzyme supplement is the first one I have seen which includes cellulase. Usually consumers purchase probiotics in order to aid the fermentation of cellulose in the colon.<br /><br />Invertase. This is a digestive enzyme categorized as a sucrase enzyme because it breaks down sucrose (table sugar) into fructose and glucose. In human saliva, invertase is produced by the bacteria Streptococcus mutans, which is also the main bacteria responsible for creating plaque on the teeth and causing almost 70% of all cavities. Besides the invertase present in saliva, another type of sucrase enzyme, sucrase-isomaltase, is naturally created in the small intestine. Invertase is produced commercially from various species of fungus, most especially baker's yeast (AKA brewer’s yeast), whose chemical name is Saccharomyces cerevisiae (AKA S. cerevisiae). Invertase is most frequently commercially employed to manufacture inverted sugar syrup (AKA inverted syrup AKA invert sugar AKA artificial honey). Corn syrup is a typical example of an inverted sugar syrup. In nature, honeybees produce invertase as a means to break down sucrose into honey, which is almost totally made up of inverted sugar syrup. This particular supplement is the first time I’ve ever personally seen invertase included in a nutritional supplement.<br /><br />Lactase. This is a digestive enzyme that is naturally produced in the small intestine of some, but not all, humans. It converts lactose (milk sugar) into glucose and galactose. People who do not naturally produce this enzyme are described as “lactose intolerant.”<br /><br />Lipase. This is a digestive enzyme that is naturally produced in the cells of the tongue and in the pancreas. It converts fats (triglycerides) into monoglyceride fatty acids.<br /><br />Maltase; This is a digestive enzyme that is naturally produced in the small intestine. It converts maltose into the simple sugar glucose. This enzyme is found in plants, bacteria, and yeast.<br /><br />Protease. This is a digestive enzyme that is naturally produced in the pancreas and small intestine. It converts protein into smaller protein units, such as peptides and amino acids.<br /><br />Rice Four and Magnesium Silicate. These are flow agents, which are inert ingredients. Another typical flow agent is microcrystalline cellulose. Flow agents are used in pharmaceutical drugs and nutritional supplements to ensure a consistently homogenous mix and also to prevent powdered therapeutic ingredients from clinging to encapsulating equipment in a manufacturing facility. Both of these things help to ensure quality control, such that the amount of the advertised active ingredients of the pharmaceutical or nutraceutical is the same from capsule to capsule.<br /><br />REFERENCES<br /><br />Ianiro,, G. Digestive Enzyme Supplementation in Gastrointestinal Diseases. Curr Drug Metab. 2016 Feb;17(2): 187–193.<br /><br />Kapoor, D., et al. Drug Delivery Systems, Chapter 14 Coating Technologies in Pharmaceutical Product Development, in Advances in Pharmaceutical Product Development and Research. 2020;14:665-719.<br /><br />Kulshrestha, S., et al. Invertase and its applications – a brief review. J Phar Res. 2013 Sep 1;(7):792-797.<br /><br />Long, M., et al. Drug Release Test Methods for Enteric Coated Products, Chapter 14 Dissolution Testing of Solid Products, in Developing Solid Oral Dosage Forms. 2009;14(4.1):319-340.<br /><br />McCabe, M., et al. Invertase activity in Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguis. Archives of Oral Biology. 1973 Apr;(18)(4):525-531.<br /><br />Williams, B. Gut Fermentation of Dietary Fibres: Physico-Chemistry of Plant Cell Walls and Implications for Health. Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Oct; 18(10): 2203.
Rating: 3 stars