What is papaya enzyme?

There’s a lot on the news around how the papaya enzyme could help our bodies in different ways; from being the latest weight loss tool to helping those who live with arthritis. We debunk the tales…

What is it?

Enzymes are already found within our bodies to help our digestive system function correctly by breaking down the food we consume to release the nutrients around our bodies and into our blood stream. Papaya enzyme, taken from the unripe fruit of the papaya tree, is a natural source of papain – an enzyme that also helps to digest foods, and in particular proteins.

Benefits of papaya enzyme

Digestion

As protein is the hardest food group to digest due to its complicated make up of amino acids, from time-to-time our bodies may need an extra helping hand if you’re feeling uncomfortable. Papain is able to break down foods and help to prevent any digestive issues we may experience along the way.

Sports

Papain helps the body to efficiently break down protein and transport it directly to the muscle. Thanks to this, it’s been linked to easing the pain from sports injuries due to its purported anti-inflammatory properties. In some early research, papain significantly reduced injury and recovery time in athletes.

Arthritis

The use of this purported anti-inflammatory action has also been trialled with those living with inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis where some success was seen in oral supplementation of papain. Shop Enzymes