Ortho Digestzyme by Ortho Molecular Products

Protein-heavy meals that sit like a brick often signal low stomach acid. If you’re looking for digestive enzymes for low stomach acid, this formula fits that use: betaine HCl and pepsin help with protein, while pancreatin and ox bile help with fat and mixed meals. It’s useful after gallbladder removal, on low-acid diets, or when large restaurant meals cause bloating or greasy stools. If testing shows pancreatic insufficiency (low fecal elastase-1) or very high stool fat, prescription dosing is usually required.

Betaine HCl adds acidity to the stomach so pepsin, the stomach’s protein-cutting enzyme, can work. Pancreatin supplies amylase for starch, protease for protein, and lipase for fat in the small intestine. Ox bile provides bile acids that emulsify fat so lipase can finish the job and fat-soluble nutrients absorb. Bromelain and papain are plant proteases that further break down stubborn proteins. The net effect is faster gastric emptying, less fermentation, and fewer floating or oily stools.

Take 1–2 capsules right before meals. Match the dose to meal size: one with small or low-fat meals, two with large or high-fat meals. Effects are meal-by-meal; most people feel lighter digestion the first day and steadier stools within a week. If you also track labs, improved fat absorption can show up as steadier Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy over time. Do not take on an empty stomach without food, and skip at snacks that are just fruit or tea.

Active ulcers, gastritis, or significant reflux are reasons to avoid betaine HCl and pepsin until healed. Do not combine HCl with acid-suppressing drugs like omeprazole, esomeprazole, or famotidine. Pancreatin and ox bile are from animal sources, so this is not vegan or kosher/halal. Allergic to pineapple or papaya? Skip bromelain and papain. Chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, or documented severe insufficiency need prescription pancrelipase, guided by fecal elastase-1 and stool fat testing.