Here’s the truth about the majority of reviews for all-in-one probiotic plus multi digestive enzyme supplements you read online: most of them are incentivized.
In other words, the review websites get paid a commission to promote these products to you.
This brings plenty of bias into the mix and often you see the product with the highest commissions listed as the so-called best probiotic and enzyme supplements, rather than the one that is actually most beneficial to your health.
Even Amazon’s review criteria now gives higher ratings to big, established brands … so all the mega-corporations now get higher review ratings than smaller, less-known products just because they’ve been around longer.
But if you’re reading this, you probably already know that when it comes to supplements companies, bigger usually does not mean better!
Now, we also sell a digestive enzyme / probiotic supplement.
That’s why in this article, we will review some of the best digestive wellness supplements using objective criteria.
The goal is to help you objectively compare and review the top brands that our products compete with.
So we’ll look at the things that are important to most of you: i. cost, ii. servings, iii. ingredients, and iv. the top positive and negative customer reviews for each probiotic multi enzyme supplement.
We’ll wrap things up with some little-known tricks many of these supplement companies use to deceive you (and how to spot them) and share our criteria for finding the best capsule for you.
Here’s a complete list of topics we’ll cover in this article (click the links to skip around):
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How to Find the Best Digestive Supplement for You
Who Should Take Digestive Enzymes + Probiotics?
Always check with your doctor first if you have an existing condition that affects your stomach or small intestine and get your enzyme levels tested. If you have the following symptoms, it’s possible that digestive enzymes plus probiotics could help.
- Indigestion, gas, bloating, abdominal pain and discomfort
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Low stomach acid
- Chronic pancreatitis
When to Take Digestive Enzymes?
Most digestive enzyme and probiotic supplements should be taken with or immediately before a meal. Taking them on an empty stomach can often cause unwanted gas and bloating (the exact thing many folks are trying to get rid of).
If you take one capsule per day, take it with your largest meal. If you take two, take it with your two largest meals.
Benefits of Taking an Enzyme / Probiotic Supplement
Let’s take a look at some of the research that has been done on digestive enzymes + probiotics supplements.
First, digestive enzymes …
- 2011 study: When people with IBS took a combination of digestive enzymes and soluble fibers, they noticed a significant reduction in stomach discomfort, gas, and bloating.
- 2011 study: Digestive enzyme supplementation significantly improved bloating, flatulence and abdominal pain, with a slight increasing of urgency for bowel movements.
- 2014 study: Digestive enzyme supplements may offer a valuable alternative to gastroprokinetic drugs to relieve various common gastrointestinal complaints.
- 2016 study: Enzyme supplementation therapy may play an important role in several digestive and malabsorption disorders, including exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and lactose intolerance.
- 2018 study: Enzyme supplementation led to statistically significant differences in all efficacy parameters compared with placebo for people with dyspepsia (which includes symptoms such as bloating, early satiety, postprandial fullness, nausea, anorexia and heartburn, regurgitation, and burping
- 2019 research review: A number of double-blinded placebo-controlled studies report a beneficial effect of oral enzyme therapy for patients with dyspepsia and IBS symptoms.
- Animal studies have found that a probiotic plus digestive enzyme supplement may help lower harmful LDL and increase HDL.
Probiotics are more widely studied than digestive enzymes. See our article Do Probiotics Work? to read more.
Side Effects and Interactions
When you first start taking enzymes and/or probiotics, it’s common to experience an increase in gas and bloating.
If you experience any nausea or diarrhea that lasts for more than a day or two, it’s probably best to stop.
Allergic reactions can also be an issue for some people, such as itching, rash, stomach pain, and difficulty swallowing. If this happens, stop taking the supplements and seek medical attention
Digestive enzyme and probiotics supplements can interfere with certain medications, such as diabetes medications and blood thinners.
If you take any medications, share the list of ingredients of the product you’re considering with your doctor to ensure there are no interactions you need to worry about.
Compare 10 of the Top All-in-one Multi Enzyme Probiotic Brands
Here’s a look at cost, ingredients, servings, and the top positive and negative reviews for 10 of the best rated probiotics plus digestive enzymes brands.
Zenwise Health Digestive Enzymes Plus Probiotics
Cost:
$17.97 for 60 Capsules
Ingredients / Servings:
Top Positive Review:
5.0 out of 5 stars Miracle pills changed my life
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2017
Disclaimer: I haven’t seen a gastroenterologist about any of my issues, so this is all personal anecdote/observation and self-diagnosis. I am not a medical professional.
These pills have changed my life. Allow me to describe my situation before the pills:
BEFORE: I had constant/chronic/consistent diarrhea, especially immediately after eating (practically anything), so life was hell. Any meal/snack was almost immediately followed by loose stools and messy bowel movements (and gas). This made scheduling life very difficult and full of interruptions and delays. Random trips to the bathroom everywhere suck, especially when you are out with friends/people and participating in time-sensitive activities, like movies, concerts, ceremonies, social events, etc.
My symptoms resembled IBS-D (irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea), although never officially diagnosed, and/or leaky gut syndrome, and/or SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth). To be honest, I feel like the current state of digestive disorder diagnosis is not well understood/developed and rather weak and even gut doctors can’t consistently and definitively pinpoint exactly what’s wrong with these kinds of cases with reliable accuracy (in my observations). Many articles and accounts of others with IBS-like symptoms generally have ambiguous or unknown causes and limited understanding of what exactly is wrong, and the treatment options are limited and ineffective, like simply avoiding trigger foods, which is not really a cure.
My trigger foods were greasy/fatty foods and any milk dairy products, including milk, yogurt, cheeses, whey, lactose, etc., and as milk products are practically everywhere in Western foods in various forms, this made filtering what I eat and grocery shopping a nightmare. Even things like Pringles or chips have hidden milk products in them (Lactose, whey), and obviously classic American past times like pizza (cheese), pies (cream, butter), cheesecake (cheese, cream), coffee drinks e.g. cappuccino, mocha, latte, etc. (milk), milkshakes (milk), ice cream (milk, cream), cheese snacks (cheese, whey), etc. had to be completely eliminated from my life. FML; indeed, the future outlook of the rest of my life with respect to dietary pleasure & nutrition was looking rather grim, since milk products to provide important calcium & protein nutrients.
My issues started about 3-4 years ago and have been gradually worsening since.
Now, this pill is about as close to a cure as I could have hoped for!
AFTER: Taking a pill before eating any significant meal/snack, I can essentially eat/drink whatever I want now, without any of the symptoms described above. My bowel movements have become very regular, predictable, and controllable i.e. no longer have urgency. My stool is solid and of healthy shape/color, and I almost never have to worry anymore about what I eat or the consequences thereafter.
I can enjoy all the trigger foods I couldn’t before, including greasy/fatty foods and milk dairy products, without having to worry about the aftermath anymore.
Truly, a miraculous life savior in the form of pill.
Again, as I am not a medical professional nor have seen a gastroenterologist about my issues before, I don’t know exactly what it is either in my gut or in these pills that result in such magical, miraculous recovery, but my guess is some combination of the digestive enzymes + probiotics in the pills are greatly helping to regulate the mess that is my gut. Why my gut was such a mess before (or is without these pills) I have no clue. I have many guesses like severe lactose intolerance, IBS-D, leaky gut, SIBO, gluten intolerance, etc. — just about everything under the sun as the symptoms of many of these digestive conditions overlap and are similar. I think that’s why it’s even difficult for the current medical practice to work with these conditions, as even IBS (as I understand) is less an explicit diagnosis on the presence of particular symptoms/markers than it is kind of the give-up answer after eliminating other potential causes.
I’ve tried several other products before these pills and have had little success. My initial guess for my issues was predominantly lactose intolerance, so I’ve tried lactase enzyme pills and Lactobacillus Acidophilus probiotics that are supposed to help digest lactose. Although they did help a little bit, they never truly eliminated all my symptoms, whereas these pills have (so far in about 2 months time since I started taking them). So, lactose intolerance wasn’t the only problem (if even a problem); clearly, I had issues with other substances in foods.
Since day 1, even pill 1, I IMMEDIATELY noticed a beneficial effect, so these pills definitely have potency, are robust, and immediately effective.
Hopefully within my lifetime, medical advances can cure me more permanently such that I don’t need these pills, but until then, I will gladly take these pills before every meal and basically become dependent on them for life. Zenwise Health, please continue to make these pills for the next 100 years okay? Thanks!
Value-wise, it’s a great deal. $25 for 180 pill bottle, so if you eat 3 meals a day, the bottle lasts you 60 days or 2 months; if you eat 2 meals a day, that’s 3 months. ~$25 per 2-3 months is totally reasonable.
Even if you don’t have major digestive issues like me, I still think the digestive enzymes/probiotics contained in these pills can do wonders for your digestion & gut. The concept behind them is to achieve/maintain supreme gut health and regularity. I do believe the unique combination of enzymes and probiotics in these pills accomplish that.
Current medical/scientific understanding of the complex interactions/relationships between our gut, brain, body, and the millions of bacteria/microorganisms in our guts is limited, so it’s still unclear exactly why certain substances/probiotics work for some people and do little for others (while others don’t need any external assistance at all), but it’s certainly worth a shot if you’re suffering!
It’s a minor inconvenience to have to carry around the pills everywhere I go, but for what they give me: the ability to digest any/all foods effectively, regulate my bowel movements, enable proper nutrient absorption, and allow me to enjoy all my favorite cheesy dairy products again, it is SO WORTH IT.
Okay, I rambled way too long here — just goes to show how much these pills have changed my life. Zenwise Health, again, you guys are amazing for developing this miracle formula. Please continue to make these for decades to come — I gladly support you.
Top Negative Review:
1.0 out of 5 stars Changed formula gave horrible symptoms
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2020
I purchased the product on the right last month after a long battle with bloating/irregularity/digestive issues. The product worked so well. I no longer felt bloated or constipated after EVERYTHING I ate, and (unlike a Super Enzyme product I’d tried at the suggestion of a health professional earlier) it did NOT make me feel gassy/bloated.
I was so impressed with the product, I recommended it to a friend of mine who has similar/ongoing issues. I even set up and subscribe and save for myself.
That is, until I received my 2nd bottle of this product (pictured left). I only had a few pills left of my first bottle and dumped them into my 2nd bottle, which allowed me to see the color difference. I didn’t think anything of it, at first, as sometimes different batches of stuff like this can have different hues. That was until day three of taking the new batch and feeling the SAME uncomfortable, and embarrassing side effects (bloating and painful gas) that I’d felt from a different product.
I dug the bottle out of the trash to find out I’d been sent, without my knowledge or consent, a different formula. The formula is also different from what is shown to be sold.
I’m mainly frustrated by this as, if you can imagine, I had been SO happy to have found a product that worked so well for me, only to have it change and now work so horrifically.
I have canceled my subscribe and save and will be seeking a full refund for this 2nd bottle.
Wholesome Wellness Digestive Enzymes Plus Prebiotics and Probiotics
Cost:
$25 for 180 Capsules (90 servings)
Ingredients / Servings:
Top Positive Review:
5.0 out of 5 stars This new product is taking the supplement world by storm…and rightfully so.
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2021
I was about to go look for a replacement for the supplement I ordered for my gut problem because it did not work on me. I finished the contents of the whole bottle and yet, I still suffer from IBS and abdominal cramps. Having learned through experience that supplements are a little more like trial and error, I was caught on the wrong side of the equation. Hence, it’s back to square one for me. As I was frantically looking for a replacement to attend to my symptoms, I happened to chance upon this page about digestive enzymes. Seeing the similarity with my previous supplement, I took interest on this and placed an order. Who knows, maybe this time, I’d be finally on the right side.
I made the following observations about the product:
a. Logistics was great as it arrived way ahead of committed time.
b. Packing and handling were superb as it was neatly packed, sealed and delivered in very good condition.
c. The capsule/pill was of the right size and easy to swallow.
d. There was no aftertaste discernible.
e. And it worked super-fast!!
This being another trial and error part, I expected very little of it. To my surprise, it hadn’t taken 3 days and all my problematic symptoms were gone!! No more IBS, no more cramps and my bowel movement has gone back to normal. Finally, a supplement that I can boastfully say is the perfect one for me!! No more trial and error!! From here on, it’s smooth sailing for me and my gut.
Top Negative Review:
1.0 out of 5 stars NOT a substantial enzyme source
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2021
I was excited to see this product, but I should have looked more closely at the pictures before purchasing. The enzyme levels are laughably minuscule, only 2% (Amylase), 16% (Invertase), 6% (Hemicellulase), 1% (Lactase), etc. of the enzyme quantities in a product like Dr. Matthews #1 Digestive Enzymes. And I typically need four of the Dr. Matthews capsules for standard portion size at every meal. By my calculations, I would need at least 40 of these capsules at each meal to get the same benefits! Definitely a no-go.
PS. As a side note, there is something funny about most of the 5-star reviews on this product. Why do all of the reviews appear in a short time, most of them with a picture of somebody holding the product up, most of them mentioning 1000 mg per capsule. Hmm. One of the reviews showed a before and after picture of a guy developing muscles! LOL. I would look elsewhere for the relief you’re looking for.
Wrap Up: How to Find the Best Digestive Health Supplement for You
When looking at all-in-one digestive health supplements that contain probiotics, enzymes, and prebiotics, these are the criteria we recommend paying attention to:
- Amount of Enzymes / Probiotics / Other Ingredients: the more strains of probiotics, the more potential microbiome diversity and benefits. But more CFUs does not always mean better though! Some people’s guts are overly sensitive to certain strains and hundreds of billions of CFUs are definitely not needed. If you’re new to probiotics and enzymes, we recommend looking for a product with 1-10 billion CFUs per serving. As far as enzymes go, look for something that has at least 100 mg of a combination of carbohydrate-, fat-, and protein-digesting enzymes. Prebiotic fiber and GI-friendly herbs are also a bonus.
- Cost: Expect to pay around $.25 – $1.00/capsule for the best multi enzyme plus probiotic supplements. In most cases, you get what you pay for and cheaper formulas tend to contain smaller amount of enzymes and sit on shelves longer, which can render much of the probiotic bacteria ineffective.
- Ingredient Sources: It’s important to understand where the ingredients in your digestive health capsule is coming from. Most of these manufacturers source their ingredients from China, where quality standards are often lower. Products that source all ingredients from the U.S. are going to cost a little more but are worth the extra cost because you know what you’re getting is safe and effective. If they don’t tell you where their ingredients come from, it’s probably a good bet it’s from the cheapest source possible overseas, especially with larger brands. W
- Manufacturing: All reputable probiotic plus enzyme formulas are produced in cGMP facilities, which means there are strict quality control and testing measures in place to ensure your safety and product efficacy.
- Doctor-developed: You want to make sure a safe, efficacious amount of each ingredient is in the product. That’s why we only recommend trusting digestive health formulas that are developed by GI health experts.
- Reviews: Read the reviews carefully. Oftentimes you’ll see many manufacturers with positive reviews that are several years old but when you look at recent reviews, customers are not happy about a formula change (this happens frequently when small companies get acquired by big ones).
Try Pure Food DIGEST (Probiotics Plus Multi Enzymes) for 25% Off
Vitamistic Digestive Enzymes Plus Probiotics & Prebiotics
Cost:
$16.97 for 120 Capsules (60 servings)
Ingredients / Servings:
Top Positive Review:
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2019
Top Negative Review:
Purely Optimal Digestive Enzymes Plus Prebiotics & Probiotics
Cost:
$24 for 180 Capsules (90 servings)
Ingredients / Servings:
Top Positive Review:
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2020
Top Negative Review:
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2020
I took one dose when the bottle arrive on my lunch and until dinner I couldn’t eat anything i was so bloated so full I barely can even drink water I forced my dinner and missed my daily regular meals.
I took my second dose it actually made it worse , now I’m going to return it for a full refund and go back to “Now” probiotic or Digestive enzyme.. maybe people giving a good review cuz you can get a bonus bottle like what it says on this paper that come with it I’m not quite sure I didn’t even bother to go to that website and check it out, or they want to have something to block their appetite but it’s completely the opposite of what digestive enzymes should do to you the feelings and everything…
Enzymedica Digest Gold + PROBIOTICS
Cost:
$44.24 for 90 Capsules (90 servings)
Ingredients / Servings:
Top Positive Review:
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2018
Top Negative Review:
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2016
Vitalitown Digestive Enzymes Plus Probiotics
Cost:
$9.99 for 60 Capsules (30 servings)
Ingredients / Servings:
Top Positive Review:
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2021
Top Negative Review:
Divine Bounty Digestive Enzymes with Probiotics & Prebiotics
Cost:
$16.95 for 90 Capsules (90 servings)
Ingredients / Servings:
Top Positive Review:
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2018
Top Negative Review:
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2019
I bought this product based on research in addition to all of the 5-star reviews this product received. I have a lot of IBS-like symptoms in addition to bloating. I’m seriously in the bathroom all morning sometimes because my body’s digestive system is just shot. So, when I saw recommendations on this product I thought I’d give it a try. Especially after many people claimed that their stool was a lot firmer and less frequent/normalized after taking this enzyme.
Well, I’ve been taking it for a few weeks now and all I can say is it did not help me, and honestly? I felt worse taking this. It did not firm up my stool whatsoever, in fact, I found it to be looser than before and much more frequent than when I wasn’t taking anything for it. I tried to wait it out, but I’ve decided I just cannot take this enzyme anymore. The frequent bathroom trips and constant bloating I received from this enzyme was not worth it. I was more miserable taking it, so much that I am better off not taking anything.
This may work for others, but it did not work for me. This is just my personal experience with it.
Life Extension Enhanced Super Digestive Enzymes with Probiotics
Cost:
$39.90 for 120 Capsules (120 servings)
Ingredients / Servings:
Top Positive Review:
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2017
Top Negative Review:
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2018
Nutra Champs Digestive Enzymes with Prebiotics & Probiotics
Cost:
$23.95 for 180 Capsules (180 servings)
Ingredients / Servings:
Top Positive Review:
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2018
I was having gastro intestinal problem for months. Waking up every morning feeling sick to my stomach. Doctors did nothing to help me, so I decided to do some research on pre and probiotics. Decided that this was my best bet, and it worked. After taking this product for two weeks my problems are gone. I no longer have any sick feelings in my stomach. I will continue to buy this product, and recommend it to my family and friends. Thank you NutraChamps for making a product that actually works. I recently bought 2 additional product from NutraChamps and hope they will be as exceptional as the Digestive Enzymes.
PS: Adding this update. Although the directions suggest you take one pill before each meal, I only take one pill a day before breakfast, and it has made an huge difference in my life.
Top Negative Review:
Pure Food DIGEST (All-in-one Probiotics + Multi Enzymes + Prebiotics + Soothing Herbs)
Cost:
1 Bottle: $17.59 for 30 Capsules (30 servings) with Subscribe & Save
2 Bottles: $29.99 for 60 Capsules (60 servings) with Subscribe & Save
3 Bottles: $39.59 for 90 Capsules (90 servings) with Subscribe & Save
Ingredients / Servings:
Top Positive Review:
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2021
As we have been using Digest, my mother and I have both been very satisfied with our results and “regularity”. Although it might be TMI, there is so much that your excrements can indicate about your overall health and Digest has continued to improve these areas as our guts adjusted to the new flora. I have also physically noticed less bloating in my lower abdomen, which what woman wouldn’t want that.
Overall I highly recommend this product and other Pure Food products to my family and friends regularly.
PS the Pure Food blog also has some amazing resources and interesting article for anyone who is on a health journey.
Top Negative Review: