What Do Digestive Enzymes Do & Why Absorption Is Only Half the Story

Before your body can absorb the nutrients from the food you eat, something important has to happen first, which is digestion. The largest component to that process are digestive enzymes, which are natural substances that your body produces to help break food down into smaller, usable parts.

Digestive enzymes are essential for turning what you eat into vitamins, minerals, and fuel your body actually uses for energy, repair, and daily function. 

What Are Digestive Enzymes?

Digestive enzymes are unique proteins that your body generates to assist in breaking down the food that you eat. They act like chemical scissors, slicing large molecules into smaller fragments for your body to absorb and utilize the nutrients inside.

These enzymes are produced naturally by your salivary glands, stomach, pancreas, and small intestine. Various enzymes are released at different phases of digestion, based on the kind of food that you’ve eaten. Without digestive enzymes, even the healthiest foods wouldn’t do much good, your body simply wouldn’t be able to extract the vitamins, minerals, and energy they contain. Understanding what digestive enzymes do can help you recognize when your body may need more support.

What Do Digestive Enzymes Do?

Each type of digestive enzyme has a specific job. Together, they break down the three main macronutrients: carbs, protein, and fat, as well as other components like dairy sugars and starches. Here are some of the most important digestive enzymes and what they do.

Amylase

What it does: Breaks down carbohydrates into simple sugars.
Naturally found in:

• Sprouted grains (like sprouted wheat or oats)

• Raw honey

• Sweet potatoes (lightly cooked or raw)

• Fermented foods like miso or sauerkraut

• Saliva: your body produces it naturally when you start chewing

Protease

What it does: Breaks proteins into amino acids.
Naturally found in:

• Pineapple (contains bromelain, a type of protease)

• Papaya (contains papain, another protease)

• Kiwi

• Fermented foods like tempeh and natto

• Raw meats (in small amounts; not recommended due to food safety)

Lipase

What it does: Breaks down fats into fatty acids.
Naturally found in:

• Avocados

• Coconut (especially raw)

• Sprouted seeds and nuts

• Wheat germ

• Yogurt and kefir (due to fermentation and live cultures)

Lactase

What it does: Breaks down lactose (milk sugar).
Naturally found in:

• Kefir

• Yogurt with live active cultures

• Raw (unpasteurized) milk: contains small amounts of natural lactase

• Some aged cheeses (though less enzyme activity remains)

Most lactase is produced in the small intestine - food sources help indirectly via probiotics that support lactase-producing gut bacteria.

Maltase

What it does: Breaks down maltose (a sugar from starch digestion).
Naturally found in:

• Sprouted barley

• Malted grain products (like malt vinegar or malted milk)

• Fermented soy products

• Sweet potatoes (when sprouted or fermented)

Papain & Bromelain

What they do: Break down proteins and may reduce gut inflammation.
Naturally found in:

• Papain: Raw, green papaya (especially the latex or juice)

• Bromelain: Pineapple (especially the core and stem)

These enzymes work together to ensure your body can actually use the food you eat and not just pass it through your system.

How to Tell If You're Lacking Digestive Enzymes

Most people don’t realize their digestion might be underperforming, they just know something feels “off” after they eat.

You might not immediately connect the dots, but your body often gives subtle signs when it isn’t producing enough digestive enzymes. These enzymes are essential for breaking food down efficiently, and when you’re not getting enough of them, digestion becomes more difficult.

Here are a few signs that your enzyme levels might be low:

• Bloating or gas after meals

• Feeling “heavy” or tired after eating

• Undigested food in stool

• Fatigue, even after a full night’s sleep

• Nutrient deficiencies, even on a “healthy” diet

These symptoms are easy to overlook or attribute to stress, aging, or even a sensitive stomach. However, if they’re happening consistently, they could point to low enzyme activity and addressing it may make a meaningful difference in how you feel day to day.

Digestive enzymes play an important role but they’re just one piece of the puzzle.

Yes, they help break food down, but true digestion isn’t just about breaking things apart, it’s also about what happens next:

• Can your body absorb the nutrients?

• Can those nutrients be transported to your cells?

• Can they actually be used to support energy, repair, and detox?

That’s why enzymes work best when paired with:

• Carrier nutrients that support absorption

• A healthy gut lining that allows nutrients through

• Trace minerals that help enzymes activate and function

• Thoughtful formulation and preservation that keep enzymes stable and effective

Digestion Is Just the Beginning - What Happens After Digestion Matters Most

Digesting food and absorbing nutrients are critical steps, but they don’t complete the full picture of health. Once nutrients enter your bloodstream, your body still has important work to do: transporting them to the right cells, converting them into usable forms, and using them efficiently to fuel vital functions.

That’s where things like cellular delivery, cofactors, and metabolic activation come in.

Here’s why that matters:

• Nutrients need to reach the right tissues. It's not just about getting them into the bloodstream. They have to be delivered where they're needed, from muscle to brain to mitochondria.

• Mineral cofactors are required for activation. Many nutrients rely on trace minerals and enzymes to become biologically active in the body.

• Detox and repair are nutrient-intensive. Your body uses nutrients not only to generate energy, but also to rebuild tissues, balance hormones, and eliminate waste, especially in today’s toxin-heavy world.

• Enzyme activity must be preserved. If enzymes degrade due to heat or harsh preservation methods, even the best ingredients won’t be fully effective.

In other words, absorption is essential but it’s just the middle of the journey. What really matters is whether your body can use what it’s taken in.

That’s why targeted support for cellular-level delivery and cofactor synergy can be a game-changer, and why intraMAX® and intraKID® were formulated with those exact needs in mind.

A Smarter Way to Support Digestion: intraMAX® and intraKID®

Digestive enzymes are essential, but they can’t work alone. For true digestive health, your body needs more than breakdown; it needs absorption, transport, and activation at the cellular level. 

If you’re looking for a supplement that supports not just digestion, but the entire nutrient absorption process, intraMAX® (for adults) and intraKID® (for children) offer a comprehensive, research-backed solution. Carbon-bonded delivery mimics the way nutrients exist in nature, helping your body recognize, absorb, and utilize them more effectively.

Both formulas include a full-spectrum digestive enzyme blend featuring amylase, protease, lipase, lactase, maltase, papain, bromelain, and more but that’s just the beginning. Unlike standard enzyme capsules, these enzymes are delivered in a carbon-bonded liquid nutrient system that includes:

• 200-400+ nutrients across our formulas, including trace minerals, amino acids, herbs, and vitamins

• intraCELL™ technology, to support deep cellular absorption

• Cold-fill processing, to preserve enzyme activity without heat or chemicals

• Zero synthetic additives or harsh preservatives like sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate

The result? Digestive support that goes beyond what digestive enzymes do — helping your body absorb, energize, and thrive. You get a formula that’s designed to enhance absorption, boost cellular energy, and support whole-body function from the inside out. When digestion works better, everything feels better.

Start with intraMAX® or intraKID® and fuel your body the way it was meant to today.

Frequently Asked Questions About Digestive Enzymes