Bromelain is a popular health food recently. It has a soothing effect on indigestion and inflammation. It is also used clinically as medicine and has many therapeutic effects, such as treatment of angina pectoris, bronchitis, sinusitis, Surgical trauma, thrombophlebitis, wound debridement, enhanced drug absorption, especially antibiotics.
Do you know the benefits of bromelain supplements?
Table of Contents
- What is Bromelain?
- Where did Bromelain come from?
- What are the benefits recommended for Bromelain?
- What are the side effects of Bromelain?
- How to eat Bromelain? When to eat? What is the dose?
- Where to buy the most recommended Bromelain capsule products?
What is Bromelain?
Bromelain refers to a thiol endopeptidase contained in parts of the Bromeliaceae (bark, stem, and leaves) and other parts, and contains other ingredients such as phosphatase, glycosidase, peroxidase, cellulase, pyro Scab enzymes, and several protease inhibitors, in vitro and in vivo studies have shown a variety of fibrinolytic, anti-edema, anti-thrombotic and anti-inflammatory activities.
Since 1875, the chemical properties of Bromelain have been known. Because of its various therapeutic effects of promoting protein digestion, softening meat quality, and promoting blood clotting, bromelain has an important economic value in the food industry, textiles, and pharmaceuticals.
Bromelain is quite absorbable. It will not lose its proteolytic activity after ingestion, nor will it produce any major side effects; its half-life is about 6-9 hours, and about 1 hour after ingestion. It can detect the highest concentration of bromelain.
Where did Bromelain come from?
At present, the commercially available Bromelain health products are extracted from the juice extracted from the pineapple stem by centrifugation, ultrafiltration, freeze-drying and other methods.
Because Bromelain has the highest concentration in the stem and less content in the fruit part, regardless of the composition or concentration, the stem part wins, so it is the main extraction source of commercially available health products.
What are the benefits recommended for Bromelain?
1. Improve inflammation and swelling after surgery
Third molar surgery is the most common oral surgery. Due to the bacteria in the mouth, many postoperative complications are common, such as pain, bacterial infections, closed teeth (the mouth cannot be opened due to muscle spasm), etc., causing great harm to the patient’s pain.
In a controlled study (targeted at 80 patients with wisdom teeth surgery), the patients were divided into two groups, one group used anti-inflammatory drugs, the other group used Bromelain/Bromelain, and found 7 days after surgery: pain and redness in the Bromelain group All are smaller than the drug group.
Another double-blind controlled study on wisdom tooth surgery also found that Bromelain and diclofenac have the same excellent anti-inflammatory effect, and can improve the quality of life after surgery (compared to the placebo group).
*Conclusion: Oral Bromelain has relief effect for inflammation and swelling after surgery, especially wisdom tooth extraction surgery
2. Beneficial chronic lichenoid pityriasis
Pityriasis lichenoides chronica is a rare papular squamous disease that occurs predominantly in adolescents, usually before the age of 30, especially in men, and is rare in infants and the elderly.
The chronic form is characterized by the gradual development of small flat, red to brown papules, which spontaneously flatten and recover over a period of time, called pityriasis lichenoides chronica.
The acute form is characterized by a sudden outbreak of a large number of papules, which develop into small blisters and pustules, eventually forming ulcers and scabs. Also known as acute acne-like pityriasis.
The pathogenesis of this disease is unknown and not contagious, but it may be related to allergic reactions caused by bacteria or drugs, viral or protozoan infections, and immune dysfunction.
A study (a period of 3 months, targeting 8 patients with pityriasis lichenoides chronica) pointed out that oral Bromelain helps achieve complete symptomatic recovery (Clinical recovery), and no side effects occurred during treatment.
The underlying mechanism may be related to anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, or antiviral properties.
*Conclusion: For patients with pityriasis lichenoides chronica, Bromelain may be considered as a new effective treatment, but more large randomized controlled trials are still needed to confirm.
3. Beneficial cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death of diabetic patients (about 70%), so how to manage the pathogenic factors has become the focus of improving prognosis.
About 80% of diabetic patients are associated with hypertension and hyperlipidemia, plus chronic high blood sugar damage to blood vessels, causing patients to increase the probability of cardiovascular disease by more than 3 times.
A randomized double-blind controlled study pointed out (12 weeks, 68 diabetic patients), taking Bromelain to improve fibrinogen (fibrinogen) and other cardiovascular disease risk factors (such as blood lipids, blood pressure, blood sugar, c-reactive protein) The effect is not better than placebo.
*Summary: Bromelain has no significant effect on improving cardiovascular disease-related risk factors, which needs to be confirmed by more large-scale experiments.
4. Osteoarthritis
The joint is an important part of daily activities, weight-bearing, bending, stretching, and other actions. Osteoarthritis is due to the cartilage in the joint cavity, which is damaged and worn out for various reasons and leads to persistent inflammation. It is more common in the elderly. , So it is also called degenerative arthritis.
It is estimated that 14% of people between the ages of 25 and 65 are affected by the disease, while the number of people over the age of 65 is increased to 34%. Almost one person in three will cause inconvenience in movement and greatly reduce the quality of life.
In a controlled study (for 40 patients with osteoarthritis), the patients were divided into two groups, one group using Bromelain (500 mg daily) and the other group using anti-inflammatory drugs (diclofenac).
Results In the 4th week after use, it was found that the osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) and pain subscales of the two groups decreased significantly, and there was no significant difference between the two groups. This shows that Bromelain can reduce oxidative stress (MDA) and the inflammatory hormone PGE2 for mild to moderate osteoarthritis, and it can also improve the effect of not losing to drugs.
*Conclusion: For osteoarthritis, oral Bromelain can help improve the symptoms of discomfort, but it is limited by the number of samples, and more large studies are needed to corroborate.
5. Helps digestive function
The food we eat every day will be digested and decomposed in the stomach to form a variety of different small molecule nutrients, which can be used by body cells.
The main contribution of this huge digestion project is attributed to a molecule called an enzyme. Depending on the function and structure, it can be divided into lipase, protease, and amylase. It is responsible for the digestion of different foods at different pH values.
Unlike other enzymes, Bromelain can adapt to various extreme pH values in the digestive tract and maintain an effective active state, which can help digest various protein-containing foods in the stomach and intestines.
Therefore Bromelain can be used as a digestive enzyme supplement (as a substitute for pepsin and trypsin deficiency).
6. Improve delayed muscle damage after exercise?
Delayed muscle pain after exercise often occurs in unfamiliar training (especially high-intensity eccentric exercise), causing local muscle fiber damage. Usually delayed muscle pain will peak 24 to 48 hours after exercise, causing athletes Many discomforts.
A small controlled study found that taking protease supplements (including Bromelain) can help reduce inflammation in the blood, reduce muscle damage, and maintain strength output.
Another study also pointed out that proteases can help reduce the phenomenon of delayed-onset muscle soreness after intense exercise and help restore muscle function.
To date, no large studies have confirmed that Bromelain alone has the effect of soothing muscle damage, so more reports are still needed to confirm.
*Conclusion: As of now, no large studies have confirmed that Bromelain alone has the effect of soothing muscle damage, so more reports are still needed to confirm.
7. Beneficial sinusitis
The sinuses are the cavities in the bones of the face (near the nasal cavity and eyes). These cavities are densely covered with mucosa and communicate with the nasal cavity.
Chronic sinusitis is generally referred to as long-term chronic inflammation caused by infection of the nasal mucosa, often causing annoying symptoms such as the runny nose, stuffy nose, headache, and facial pain.
It is estimated that 29 million people in the United States suffer from this disease each year (approximately 14.2% of the total population), and related medical expenses are as high as 10 million US dollars.
An epidemiological study from Germany (for 116 patients with acute sinusitis under 11 years of age) found that treatment with Bromelain alone can shorten the course of the disease and recover faster from the disease (compared to patients using drugs alone).
Another preliminary observation also pointed out that for patients with chronic sinusitis (with or without nasal polyps), taking Bromelain can help improve patients’ Total Symptom Scores, Total Rhinoscopy Score, and quality of life before surgery.
*Conclusion: The use of Bromelain has a positive effect on the improvement of sinusitis symptoms, but it is limited by the number of samples, and more large studies are needed to corroborate it.
What are the side effects of Bromelain?
Bromelain has been found to be highly safe in animal experiments, but occasional side effects in humans include gastrointestinal discomfort, diarrhea, and increased menstrual blood.
Safety Precautions
1. Do not use for pregnant women, nursing mothers, or those with poor liver and kidney function (because the safety is unknown).
2. Do not use if you have been allergic to pineapple, natural latex, wheat, celery, papain, carrots, fennel, pollen, or grass (may cause allergic reactions. Common allergic symptoms include: difficulty breathing, strong itching, constipation, nasal congestion, Anaphylactic shock, etc.).
3. Bromelain has an anticoagulant effect. The combined use of anticoagulant drugs may increase the risk of bruising and bleeding. The names of the related drugs are Warfarin, Aspirin, Clopidogrel, diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen, dalteparin, enoxaparin, heparin, and ginkgo.
4. May increase the risk of bleeding during and after surgery, so please avoid using it 1 month before surgery.
5. Avoid taking it with antibiotics or sedative drugs or health ingredients (which may interfere with the drug’s action and cause unknown risks). The related drugs are Amoxicillin, demeclocycline, minocycline, tetracycline.
How to eat Bromelain? When to eat? What is the dose?
The recommended dose of Bromelain depends mainly on the situation you are dealing with.
For indigestion, the standard dose taken after meals is 200 to 2000 mg.
As for other uses, the following are common dosages
Arthritis: Take 400 mg 1-2 times a day
Allergies: 1,000 mg of Bromelain and Quercetin per day
Surgical recovery: 1000 mg twice a day
Although Bromelain is generally considered safe, it is important to seek medical advice before use to determine the dosage required by the body.
Where to buy the most recommended Bromelain capsule products?
In recent years, food safety problems in various countries have exploded, and it is not healthy but black-hearted products that everyone spends on. Therefore, European and American products with relatively strict quality control have become popular products.
And iHerb.com is a large-scale medical cosmetics e-commerce company in the United States. It has a high satisfaction rate of 97% in the evaluation of Google customers. It provides global home delivery so that you can buy it without risking buying fakes through purchasing high-quality health products.
