Did you know that enzymes are the catalysts for thousands of reactions, processes, and functions in the human body, down to the cellular level? 

From digestion to detoxification, and everything in between… enzymes are involved. They reduce inflammation, help fight infections, clean the blood of unwanted proteins (garbage), and much more!

And when we’re young, our bodies produce more than enough enzymes for our needs. Unfortunately, as we age, starting around 25 or 30, our enzyme levels begin to drop. 

Systemic Enzymes

That’s why systemic (also called “proteolytic enzymes”) enzymes have been in my cabinet for the last 10+ years. (I just turned 40) Generally, I take a very low maintenance dose. If I’ve been training hard, combatting an illness, or have some other acute need, I’ll increase the amount I’m taking to give my body the help it needs. 

There are well-documented potential benefits of taking supplemental systemic enzymes in regards to joint health, pain reduction, as well as improved cardiovascular health. 

There are products on the market consisting of individual systemic enzymes, such as nattokinase (shown to have benefits in regards to blood pressure & cardiovascular health), serrapeptase (congestion, mucous membranes, inflammation), and bromelain (comes from pineapple cores, and breaks down excess fibrin in the blood among other functions). 

At one point, I was personally taking 4 different enzyme products because I wanted the benefits of all of them together. While this can be effective, it also gets quite expensive.

Enzymes Formulas

Then I found combination formulas, Vitalzym and Wobenzym – both of which are well-known in the natural health/functional medicine world, with solid research behind them. Both seemed to achieve the desired effects, so I’d rotate between the two.

Even with these formulas, however, I was taking 6-12 capsules/day, and given the cost of the products, expense was still more than I’d have liked.

That’s when my friend & Microbiologist, Kiran Krishnan (Chief Science Officer at Microbiome Labs) told me about a product he’d found recently at a trade show called Fibrenza. 

Fibrenza

Fibrenza is the most complete systemic enzyme formula on the market, and I’ve now been taking it personally for over 3 years. My general maintenance dose is 2 caps first thing in the morning and 2 before bed. If I’m in acute need with soreness, illness, or anything else – I’ll up that to 3/3. So I’m taking between 4-6 caps/day instead of 6-12 caps/day. 

Due to this switch, I’ve saved a few hundred bucks over the last few years, and been able to participate in intense training (boxing), beating myself up in many other ways (long challenging hikes, learning to surf), and have kept my heart, liver, and other organs in great shape despite having a condition called hemochromatosis… which means I have excess ferritin (iron) in my blood.

People with this condition are at a higher risk of heart attack/disease, strokes, liver/kidney damage, and other damage due to increased blood viscosity, excess inflammation, and increased oxidative damage. 

While I’m doing plenty else to manage the condition – the enzymes are a foundational supplement I always take, in part to help keep my organs healthy and blood as “clean” as possible. 

Kiran has absolutely no connection to the product or the company that makes it – but he agreed to record an interview with me to break down each enzyme in the formula, what the research shows about each one, and what the uses/potential benefits would be. As one of the scientists behind bringing certain systemic enzymes into the US market over a decade ago, he has a vast knowledge on enzymes and all they do.

Please check out the videos (and transcripts) below to learn about these magical little powerhouses of health!

If you’d like to try Fibrenza, it’s available in two sizes… a 60ct bottle which works well for a little trial run, and a 240ct bottle which is more economically friendly for regular use.

The big bottle generally lasts me almost 3 months, personally.