Physician's Choice
What Are the Best Digestive Enzymes? How to Read the Label, Enzyme by Enzyme
Updated Oct 22, 2026 · 7 sources
Pick the enzymes that match your food, then check how the label measures them. Protease, amylase and lipase break down the protein, starch and fat in a mixed meal, while lactase and alpha-galactosidase target dairy and beans.1,2 Strength shows as activity units, such as HUT for protease or ALU for lactase, and Health Canada’s enzyme monograph defines 22 of them.3
Key points
- Over-the-counter enzyme supplements can contain amylase, lipase and protease, and some add lactase and alpha-galactosidase, Johns Hopkins Medicine notes.1
- An activity unit measures what an enzyme does in a standard lab test; a milligram figure gives the weight of the enzyme preparation.3
- Health Canada’s monograph says the amount per dose must be stated as enzyme activity, with milligrams allowed as an additional figure.3
- U.S. rules let a label give one total weight for a named blend and list its ingredients in descending order by weight, without an amount for each.4
What enzymes should a digestive enzyme have?
For a mixed meal, at least three: protease for protein, amylase for starch and lipase for fat.1,2 Then add the enzyme for any food that gives you trouble: lactase for the lactose in milk, or alpha-galactosidase, an enzyme people do not produce, for the GOS fiber in beans.1 A broad-spectrum blend can also add enzymes for plant fiber, such as cellulase, which humans do not make.5
Not sure you need one at all? Start with our page Do I Need Digestive Enzymes?
How do you read a digestive enzyme label?
Go line by line through the Supplement Facts panel. Each enzyme is listed by name. Some labels follow each one with an activity figure, the format Health Canada’s sample label shows.3 Others group the enzymes in a named blend: U.S. rules call for the blend’s total weight, its ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight, and a symbol pointing to the footnote that no Daily Value is established.4
| Enzyme | What it breaks down | Unit you may see on a label | Where it shows on the Physician’s Choice label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protease | Protein1 | HUT, or SAP3 | Three entries: Protease 3.0, 4.5 and 6.0, each numbered for the pH it is active at6 |
| Bromelain and papain | Protein; both sit in the monograph’s protease table3 | PU; the monograph puts 1 GDU at about 15,000 PU3 | Both listed by name |
| Peptidase | Peptides, the short protein pieces left after the first breakdown6 | No unit in the monograph3 | Listed by name |
| Amylase | Starch2 | DU3 | Listed by name |
| Glucoamylase | Starches and other carbohydrates5 | GU3 | Listed by name |
| Lipase | Fat1 | LU; FIP is a pharmacopoeia unit the monograph uses for lipase from the pancreas3 | Listed by name |
| Lactase | Lactose, the sugar in milk1 | ALU3 | Listed by name |
| Alpha-galactosidase | GOS, a fiber in beans, root vegetables and some dairy foods1 | GalU3 | Listed by name |
| Invertase | Sucrose, or table sugar5 | INVU, or SU3 | Listed by name |
| Cellulase, hemicellulase, xylanase, beta-glucanase | Fibers in plant cell walls5 | CU, HCU, XU and BGU, in that order3 | All four listed by name |
Blend weight or activity units: what is the difference?
An activity unit measures work, and a blend weight measures mass. One DU is the amount of amylase that breaks down soluble starch at a rate of 1 gram an hour at 30°C, and one ALU is the amount of lactase that frees a test compound at 1 micromole a minute.3 A milligram figure gives the weight of the enzyme preparation.
Health Canada also requires makers to test enzyme activity during manufacturing with Food Chemicals Codex methods, and permits extra enzyme to offset activity lost over the shelf life.3
U.S. blend rules work differently: a named blend shows one total weight, with its ingredients in weight order, so one milligram figure can stand for many enzymes.4
Single enzyme or broad-spectrum blend?
Match it to the meal. For occasional gas and bloating after meals, choose a digestive enzyme that helps break down the food components that may be causing discomfort: lactase for lactose in dairy, or alpha-galactosidase for certain carbohydrates in foods like beans, lentils, broccoli, and cabbage.‡ A plate with protein, starch and fat calls for a blend that lists protease, amylase and lipase together.1
To go food by food, use our guide to bloating after meals, which matches each food to its enzyme.
Physician’s Choice Digestive Enzymes, enzyme by enzyme
Digestive Enzymes is a broad-spectrum blend designed to be taken with meals to help break down proteins, fats, dairy, and carbohydrates.‡ All 16 of its enzymes share one 85 mg Digestive Enzyme Blend: six for protein (Protease 3.0, 4.5 and 6.0, bromelain, papain and peptidase), amylase and glucoamylase for starch, lipase for fat, lactase, alpha-galactosidase, invertase, and four for plant fiber.5,6,7 It also carries a prebiotic and probiotic blend (159 mg, with three Bacillus probiotics) and a 150 mg herbal blend of peppermint leaf and ginger root.7 Directions: 1 capsule with your largest meal of the day, and the product page adds that most people stay at or under 2 capsules a day.7 See the label.
On testing: Every lot of every product is tested for purity and potency at ISO/IEC 17025-accredited labs, the international standard for testing-lab competence.
Safety: who should check with a healthcare provider first
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, are seriously ill, or have a weakened immune system, consult your healthcare provider before taking a probiotic or any other dietary supplement.
Our Kids line includes a Kids Chewable Probiotic, Fiber Gummies, and a Probiotic + Fiber Powder. These are the only Physician’s Choice products we recommend for children under 18, and each should be used according to its labeled age range and directions. Always consult your child’s pediatrician or healthcare provider before starting a new supplement routine.
If you have known allergies, review the product’s ingredient list and allergen information and consult your healthcare provider before purchasing or using it. Most of our products are formulated without the top 9 common allergens, but ingredients vary by product.
Our 60 Billion Probiotic and Digestive Enzymes contain inulin, and our Fiber Gummies contain chicory root fiber; gut bacteria break down fibers like these, which can cause gas.
If bloating is persistent, severe, or feels different than usual, talk with your healthcare provider.
If you experience an adverse event, stop using the product and contact your healthcare provider immediately. Please also notify us at support@physicianschoice.com or 1-877-395-2707. What people notice early on is covered on our side effects page.
Questions people ask
What are the best digestive enzymes?
Choose enzymes that match your meals. Protease, amylase and lipase break down protein, starch and fat, and lactase and alpha-galactosidase target dairy and beans. On the label, an activity unit such as HUT, DU or ALU gives an enzyme’s strength, and a blend weight gives the mass of the whole blend.
What is the best digestive enzyme for bloating?
For occasional gas and bloating after meals, choose a digestive enzyme that helps break down the food components that may be causing discomfort: lactase for lactose in dairy, or alpha-galactosidase for certain carbohydrates in foods like beans, lentils, broccoli, and cabbage.‡ Our guide to bloating after meals matches each food to its enzyme.
What do HUT, DU and ALU mean on a label?
They are activity units: HUT for protease, DU for amylase and ALU for lactase. Each is defined by how much work the enzyme does in a standard lab test, and Health Canada’s monograph defines 22 such units.
Why does a label give one weight for all its enzymes?
U.S. rules let a named blend list one total weight, with its ingredients in descending order by weight. That number is the weight of the whole blend, not a measure of each enzyme’s activity.
What is the best digestive enzyme supplement?
No single product suits every gut. Choose one whose label names the enzymes your meals need and says how it measures them, and take it with food: Health Canada’s monograph directs taking enzymes with or right before a meal.
The short version
Choose digestive enzymes by your food, then by the label. Protease, amylase and lipase cover a mixed meal, lactase and alpha-galactosidase cover dairy and beans, and an activity unit such as HUT or ALU tells you an enzyme’s strength, while a blend weight gives the total mass.
Sources
- Johns Hopkins Medicine. Digestive Enzymes and Digestive Enzyme Supplements.
- Cleveland Clinic. Digestive Enzymes 101: Why They’re Important. September 5, 2025.
- Health Canada. Natural Health Product Monograph: Digestive Enzymes. June 26, 2026.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dietary Supplement Labeling Guide: Chapter IV. Nutrition Labeling. Content current as of April 1, 2005.
- Physician’s Choice Journal. What Happens When You Take Digestive Enzymes.
- Physician’s Choice Journal. What Are Proteolytic Enzymes and What Do They Do for Your Gut and Body?
- Physician’s Choice. Digestive Enzymes product page and Supplement Facts label (60 count).
How this page was made
Sources fetched October 22, 2026. Label facts come from our 60 count Digestive Enzymes bottle and its product page. Written by Physician’s Choice.
‡These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.