Can Papaya Enzyme Help You Digest Faster? A Look at the Possible Benefits and Side Effects

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Papayas and papaya enzyme supplements are often used to help support digestion and gut health. And if you're someone who experiences symptoms like bloating and gas, this may seem worth a shot. But before you start changing your diet or taking digestive enzymes, learn more about what papaya enzyme is and how it affects your stomach and gut.

What is papain?

Papain is a natural enzyme found in papaya fruit. It can be extracted from the "latex" of the fruit. The latex is the white fluid found in raw, unripe papaya. It specifically works by breaking down proteins.

Papain is considered a digestive enzyme that may help you digest and absorb nutrients from food. But it has been used in a number of different ways that extend well beyond human gut health. For example, it has been used in industrial settings as a meat tenderizer and in laboratory testing. It has also been used to help with health conditions like dental decay and wound healing.

What are the alleged benefits of papaya enzymes?

Like other digestive enzymes, papain may help relieve symptoms related to slow or problematic digestion. These often include:

• Bloating

• Constipation

• Gas

One small study found that people who were struggling with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) reported significant improvements in constipation and bloating after taking 20 mL of concentrated papaya enzymes (Caricol) daily for 40 days. It's important to note that this study used a papaya supplement - not the whole fruit.

There have also been studies looking at whether papain can help with symptoms of reflux, heartburn, and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux). Even though some studies have noted some improvement, none of these had results that were large enough to suggest a noticeable difference.

In addition to supporting digestion, there have been some other proposed benefits of papaya enzymes. But there's not enough evidence to say whether these benefits are real. Most of the studies have been very small or have been conducted in animals or laboratories. Some areas of exploration for papaya enzyme have been:

• Inflammation: One study suggested that people who took papain after dental surgery had less facial swelling in the week after the procedure. But it's hard to know if these results were significant.

• Sore throat: One small study showed improved sore throat symptoms when people took a lozenge that contained papain. But the lozenge also included other active ingredients.

• Pain: In the two studies above, reduced inflammation and swelling helped with pain as well. Another study of rats showed that papain helped with movement after induced neuropathic pain similar to sciatica.

• Weight loss: This is a new area of exploration. One study of rats found that papaya juice helped reduce inflammation associated with a high-fat diet. Another found similar results in mice, along with a reduction in fat accumulation. But these claims haven't yet been evaluated in humans.

• Wound healing: This is one of the more researched areas. And there has been some promise in studies on mice and rats. And a small study in humans showed it helped wound healing in people with diabetic foot ulcers.

Does papaya enzyme make you poop?

There's not a lot of research looking at papaya enzyme's effect on constipation specifically. But the fruit itself may still help with bowel movements. One small papaya contains about 3 g of fiber. This isn't an especially high amount compared to other fruits. But it can still help people meet their daily recommended intake: 25 g of fiber for women and 38 g for men.

Are papaya supplements as beneficial as papaya fruit?

Much of the research done on papain has looked at supplements containing a papaya enzyme complex rather than the whole papaya fruit. Even then, the research on papain is limited.

Supplements that contain papain might help support digestion. But they lack the fiber, vitamins, and minerals found in the whole papaya fruit. This makes eating the whole fruit a more nutrient-dense choice.

It's also easy to go overboard with supplements. Experts believe that consuming too much papain may be harmful, especially to the esophagus. Since supplements aren't regulated by the FDA, what they say they contain on the bottle isn't always accurate. That's why it's a good idea to always buy supplements that are made by high-quality brands and are third-party tested by agencies like the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) and NSF International.

Papaya enzyme potential side effects

As mentioned above, there's a possibility that papaya extract supplements could be damaging to the esophagus. Given its impact on digestion, high amounts of papaya enzyme could also cause unwanted stomach distress. There are some additional risks to be aware of.

Papain comes from unripe papaya, which has been associated with:

• Allergic reaction: Don't take papaya enzymes if you have an allergy to papaya fruit or latex.

• Birth defects: There's some evidence that unripe papaya can be harmful to a developing fetus. It's not recommended for people who are nursing either.

• Lower blood sugar: Fermented forms of papaya may lower blood sugar to dangerous levels. This could be particularly dangerous for people who are taking medications for diabetes, or for people who are recovering from recent surgery.

• Bleeding: Papaya could interfere with normal blood clotting. It also can interact with warfarin (Coumadin), and increase its effects in the body. This could lead to dangerous or life-threatening bleeding.

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