India's traditional post-meal practices — chewing fennel seeds, drinking chaas, eating pickle — all serve a purpose: supporting digestion. Yet modern urban Indians experience epidemic levels of bloating and indigestion despite these practices.
Digestive enzymes work best for specific situations: post-pancreatic insufficiency, after antibiotics, or severe bloating. For healthy individuals, they are rarely necessary.
When Digestive Enzymes Actually Help
Genuine indications: pancreatic insufficiency, post-antibiotic dysbiosis, post-surgical recovery, advanced age (digestive enzyme production genuinely declines after 70), and severe bloating with confirmed low stomach acid.
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This article was prepared by the Nutsutra Editorial team in accordance with our Editorial & Sourcing Policy. All statistics and health claims are drawn from peer-reviewed research; specific studies are cited inline where referenced. When evidence is limited or contested, we say so explicitly.