Kitchen wizards know that you can’t make a gelatin dessert with fresh pineapple. The natural enzymes in this prickly fruit prevent the gelatin from setting, leaving the amateur cook with a runny mess. What’s bad for Jell-O may be good for you, however. Bromelain, the enzyme found in pineapple, has been credited with a number of health benefits, including aiding digestion, speeding wound healing, and reducing inflammation.
Bromelain is found in both the fruit and stem of the pineapple, but the enzyme in supplements comes from the stem.
An Inflammation Tamer
More than 200 scientific papers have been written about bromelain since it was first introduced as a health-boosting substance in 1957. Much of the research has focused on its anti-inflammatory effects. Whether you have a sprained ankle, a nasty bruise, sinusitis, or any other type of inflammation, bromelain may help you heal faster, says Greg Kelly, N.D., a naturopathic doctor in Stamford, Connecticut. In fact, he routinely recommends that his patients take bromelain before and after surgery to speed the healing process. "I would consider using bromelain for any type of inflammation for which you might use aspirin," he says.
Bromelain inhibits the release of certain inflammation-causing chemicals, explains Alan L. Miller, N.D., technical advisor for Thorne Research in Sandpoint, Idaho, and senior editor of Alternative Medicine Review. It also activates a chemical in the blood and tissues that breaks down fibrin, a protein-sugar complex that is partly responsible for blood clotting.
By breaking down fibrin, bromelain produces another benefit: It reduces swelling. That’s because fibrin prevents injured tissues from draining, and when they can’t drain, they swell. "Bromelain is most beneficial when used after trauma such as surgery or injury," says Dr. Miller. "I also prescribe it for colds, flu, and ear infections to loosen thick mucus so it can drain or be coughed up."
Bromelain may also keep platelets from sticking to each other and to blood vessel walls, which is a major factor in atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Bromelain helps prevent platelet clumping by decreasing the release of a chemical that causes them to stick together.
Treating Troubled Tummies
If you overestimated the size of tonight’s dinner and ate more steak and potatoes than your stomach was prepared to digest, you might want to try a bromelain supplement to quell the discomfort. It is a digestive enzyme that helps break down protein, thus aiding digestion, says Dr. Kelly.
Bromelain also appears to be helpful for people with food allergies, especially allergies to wheat and other grains, says Dr. Kelly. In one Japanese study, bromelain was added to wheat flour, which was then used to make bread. The enzyme changed the structure of a protein in the wheat and allowed people with wheat allergies to eat the bread without having an allergic response.
SUPPLEMENTSNAPSHOT
| Bromelain May help: Digestive disorders, inflammation, wound healing, colds and flu, ear infections, angina, atherosclerosis, food allergies, muscle soreness, phlebitis, lupus, gout, intermittent claudication, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis; may also increase the effectiveness of some antibiotics. Special instructions: As a digestive aid, take with meals; for all other uses, take on an empty stomach. Good food source: Pineapple. Cautions and possible side effects: May cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rash, and heavy menstrual bleeding; may increase the risk of bleeding in people taking aspirin or anticoagulants (blood thinners). Do not take if you are allergic to pineapple. |
Some research has shown that bromelain also holds promise for increasing the potency of antibiotics, and it is used that way in several countries outside the United States. In one study, combined bromelain and antibiotic therapy was given to 53 hospitalized patients with a variety of infectious ailments. For every disease studied, there was a significant reduction in disease symptoms when the patients received the combined therapy as compared to antibiotics alone.
Dr. Kelly concedes that the studies are dated, but he reviewed the evidence and found it convincing. Since bacteria have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics, using bromelain to increase a drug’s potency makes sense, he says.
Doing Your Homework
Manufacturers of bromelain supplements really make you do your math, because the supplements are measured in milk-clotting units (mcu) or gelatin-dissolving units (gdu); 1,200 gdu equal roughly 2,000 mcu per gram. Check the label carefully. Some brands list the mcu by the pill and others by the amount per gram. If the label lists only the weight in milligrams, it may be an inferior product.
Dosages for bromelain vary, depending on the reason that you’re taking it. Look for standardized supplements so you know that you are getting the same potency from batch to batch. You can buy either capsules—which do not contain any binders or fillers—or tablets.
If you’re lactose intolerant, read the labels or check with the manufacturer to find out whether a particular product is mixed with lactose. Manufacturers are not required to list lactose with other ingredients on the label, says Dr. Miller, but some products offer the information or specify that the product is lactose-free.
