Recovery enzymes, good or bad?

Nutrition
1

Okay so this question will make the most sense if i preface the actual question with an initial point. We’ll call it a “two part question”:

  1. proteolytic enzymes and the affect on protein absorption
  2. A source of proteolytic enzymes (SwissRX Recovery Enzymes) ← the main question.

Proteolytic enzymes
Alright so i recently learned about proteolytic enzymes ( proteases, peptidase, pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, bromelain, and papain to name a few). According to this study, consuming proteolytic enzyme supplements along with whey protein concentrate (aka whey protein powder) resulted in a higher protein absorption rate (and in this case, a higher rate can be considered getting enough vs not getting enough) than taken without. Essentially, without the proteolytic enzymes you’re only really absorbing about 10 grams of protein out of a 50 gram shake. The problem with protein powders mixed with water, is that your body just doesn’t have time to digest the protein rich liquid, before the liquid makes it through your body and into the toilet.

This intrigued me, since i heavily rely on the convenience of a quick protein shake to supplement my daily protein goal.

Now we get to the main point…

Recovery Enzymes
Okay so i’m a fan of TheFeed.com, i’ve used a lot of their supplements in the past. One of which is SwissRX Recovery Enzymes. The product is intended to aid in recovery by reducing inflammation, which is one of the other effects of taking proteolytic enzymes. Specifically, you’re supposed to take proteolytic enzymes without a whole bunch of protein (ie on an empty stomach). I’m fuzzy on the science, but they cite about 4 different studies which seem to confirm this.

This got me thinking about the recovery phase of the work we do as athletes, specifically the inflammation which i’ve come to realize is not a bad thing but a good thing. According to several episodes of the TR podcast, that inflammation we feel (as a cyclist its in my quads) is our bodies attempt to adapt, right? So then, do I want to be taking some supplement that (if taken on an empty stomach) has an inflammation reducing effect?

Thanks, hope this comes through clearly.

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Its my opinion to let your body run its natural course if you want to adapt. Now if your doing something like a stage race and not trying to train but just race then compression garments or supplements could be helpful.

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