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When is the best time to take my enzyme or probiotic product?

A common question we often hear is when and how one should be taking our products. Since nearly every single person's daily supplement regimen and routine differs, our goal is to simplify this once and for all. Firstly, our products have one of two dosage instructions. They either stipulate to take the product on an empty stomach or with food. It seems simple enough right?

The problem lies in the fact that the definition of empty stomach may differ based on who you are speaking to. We typically recommend that our "empty stomach" products such as Fibrovera, Neprinol, Syntol, and Serretia be taken at least one hour before eating and/or two hours after eating. The key word here is eating. We are not concerned with the product being taken with other supplements, as we are only trying to avoid the product being taken when the digestive process will inhibit the product from passing the stomach in a reasonable time frame. Any product within a capsule, even when taken away from food, still has to pass the stomach, and it can take anywhere from 15-45 minutes to do so depending on the person. If a product is taken with food, the stomach usually empties after several hours depending on the meal, hence why we suggest waiting two hours after eating to take these products. The Acid Armor capsule is designed to withstand acid for a period of about 30 minutes, and the enzymes themselves are able to resist acid for some time as well (they do not simply denature upon contact with acid). Once the capsule or its contents are passed by the stomach, it then enters what is a more neutral environment which tends to be more hospitable for most supplements.

Secondly, since we are only concerned with avoiding the long digestive process within the stomach, it is perfectly fine to take these products with coffee, juices, tea, and other supplements. These items do not delay gastric emptying (when the stomach passes its contents into the next section of the GI tract) since they do not need to be broken down within the stomach prior to entering the upper intestine. It is also important to note that our recommendation of one hour before eating and/or two hours after is simply that, a recommendation. One hour before eating is likely to be on the conservative side, especially since the average time it takes a capsule to pass thru an empty stomach is within the first 30 minutes.

With that said, everybody is different, so what works for some may not for others. This is the reason we attempt to create general dosage instructions rather than being explicit in detail. So keep this in mind when taking any product. If you have been doing something a certain way that works for you but is not necessarily in line with the dosage instructions outlined on the bottle, then there is not really any reason to change. The goal of our products is to provide a benefit, and if that benefit is realized by taking the product "your way", keep it up.