{
  "dataset": "digestive-enzymes-cost-by-brand",
  "title": "Digestive Enzyme Supplements Compared — cost per serving by use case, and which products disclose activity units",
  "sourcePage": "https://verifiedsupplementdata.com/digestive-enzymes/best-overall/",
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "attribution": "Verified Supplement Data (2026), Digestive Enzymes Cost Comparison",
  "dateModified": "2026-07-20",
  "methodology": "Digestive enzyme products are NOT ranked on one blended cost-per-unit axis, because the 5 tracked products are not the same enzyme: lactase is dosed in FCC/ALU units, alpha-galactosidase in GalU units, and broad-spectrum blends are typically mg-labeled with no activity-unit disclosure at all — treating these as one comparable \"potency\" number would misrepresent the category. Instead, products are grouped by use case (targeted lactose-intolerance, targeted bean/legume gas, broad-spectrum budget/mainstream/premium) and ranked by costPerServing = price / servingsPerContainer within each group. unitsDisclosed records whether the Amazon listing discloses a per-serving activity-unit figure (FCC/ALU/GalU) — only Lactaid does, per its own label copy (not independently re-confirmed against the physical Supplement Facts panel this pass); Beano and all three broad-spectrum blends did not have a per-serving activity-unit figure confirmed this pass, which is itself the honest finding: a milligram figure on a multi-enzyme blend does not indicate actual enzymatic potency. Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) is prescription-only in the US and is intentionally excluded from this shopping table — see the dosage guide and do-digestive-enzymes-work pages for PERT as a citation/education topic only. This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA; these products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.",
  "headline": {
    "productsCompared": 5,
    "targetedCount": 2,
    "broadSpectrumCount": 3,
    "lactasePick": "Lactaid Fast Act Caplets (96ct)",
    "lactaseCostPerServing": 0.21,
    "alphaGalPick": "Beano Extra Strength (100ct)",
    "alphaGalCostPerServing": 0.11,
    "cheapestBroadSpectrumBrand": "Nutricost",
    "priciestBroadSpectrumBrand": "Pure Encapsulations",
    "note": "Match the enzyme to the problem. Lactase (lactose intolerance) and alpha-galactosidase (bean/legume gas) have real, targeted trial evidence. Broad-spectrum \"digestive support\" blends for general bloating in healthy people do not, regardless of price or which one costs more per serving."
  },
  "columns": [
    "brand",
    "product",
    "slug",
    "useCase",
    "evidenceTier",
    "servingSize",
    "servings",
    "price",
    "costPerServing",
    "unitsDisclosed",
    "source"
  ],
  "units": {
    "price": "USD",
    "costPerServing": "USD/serving"
  },
  "citations": [
    {
      "claim": "Double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover milk-challenge RCT, n=30 lactose malabsorbers: exogenous lactase (Kluyveromyces lactis-derived) significantly reduced max breath H2 (12.07/13.97 vs 51.46 ppm placebo, P<0.001) and symptom score (0.36/0.96 vs 3.7, P<0.001).",
      "source": "Montalto M, Nucera G, Santoro L, et al. 2005, Eur J Clin Nutr",
      "pmid": "15674309"
    },
    {
      "claim": "Randomized 3-arm trial, n=60: tilactase normalized the lactose breath test significantly more than placebo (and more than a probiotic arm, p<0.01), and beat placebo on peak breath-hydrogen and symptom score (p<0.0001).",
      "source": "Ojetti V, Gigante G, Gabrielli M, et al. 2010, Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci",
      "pmid": "20391953"
    },
    {
      "claim": "Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled dose-response RCT, n=8 healthy volunteers, bean test meal: 1200 GalU alpha-galactosidase significantly reduced breath H2 and flatulence severity vs placebo.",
      "source": "Di Stefano M, Miceli E, Gotti S, et al. 2007, Dig Dis Sci",
      "pmid": "17151807"
    },
    {
      "claim": "Randomized, double-blind, crossover trial, n=19, chili test meal: alpha-galactosidase (original Beano formulation) significantly reduced flatulence events/hour (P=.016) but did NOT significantly reduce bloating or abdominal pain vs placebo.",
      "source": "Ganiats TG, Norcross WA, Halverson AL, et al. 1994, J Fam Pract",
      "pmid": "7964541"
    },
    {
      "claim": "Randomized, placebo-controlled trial, n=125 IBS patients, 12 weeks: alpha-galactosidase showed only a non-significant trend on IBS-Symptom Severity Score; authors found \"no evidence to support the use of AG routinely in IBS patients.\" More withdrawals in the active arm (18 vs 7, p=0.016) from abdominal pain/diarrhea.",
      "source": "Hillila M, Farkkila MA, Sipponen T, et al. 2016, Scand J Gastroenterol",
      "pmid": "26133538"
    },
    {
      "claim": "Systematic review and meta-analysis, 17 studies/511 chronic pancreatitis patients: pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy improved coefficient of fat absorption vs placebo (83.2% vs 67.4%, p=0.0001). COI: co-author consultancy/financial support from Abbott (Mylan), maker of a leading prescription PERT brand.",
      "source": "de la Iglesia-Garcia D, Huang W, Szatmary P, et al. 2017, Gut",
      "pmid": "27941156"
    },
    {
      "claim": "RCT, n=40, DigeZyme 50mg 3x/day vs placebo, 60 days, functional dyspepsia: statistically significant improvement across all efficacy parameters (P=.0033-.0401). COI: authors are founders/employees of Sami/Sabinsa, DigeZyme's manufacturer — the most direct conflict in this evidence base.",
      "source": "Majeed M, Majeed S, Nagabhushanam K, et al. 2018, J Med Food",
      "pmid": "30156436"
    }
  ],
  "products": [
    {
      "brand": "Beano",
      "product": "Extra Strength (100ct)",
      "slug": "beano-extra-strength-100ct",
      "useCase": "targeted-bean-legume-gas",
      "evidenceTier": "real-targeted",
      "servingSize": "1 tablet at the start of the meal (1-3 by meal size, per label)",
      "servings": 100,
      "price": 10.92,
      "costPerServing": 0.11,
      "unitsDisclosed": false,
      "source": "fungal (Aspergillus niger-derived alpha-galactosidase)",
      "priceNote": "Per-tablet GalU (galactosidase activity units) are NOT disclosed on the Amazon listing — a real labeling gap. Label serving is 1-3 tablets depending on meal size; cost shown is for 1 tablet. Take at the START of the gas-causing meal (beans, legumes, cruciferous vegetables, high-FODMAP foods), not after."
    },
    {
      "brand": "Nutricost",
      "product": "Digestive Enzymes 620mg (120ct)",
      "slug": "nutricost-digestive-enzymes-620mg-120ct",
      "useCase": "broad-spectrum-budget",
      "evidenceTier": "weak-broad-spectrum",
      "servingSize": "1 capsule",
      "servings": 120,
      "price": 19.95,
      "costPerServing": 0.17,
      "unitsDisclosed": false,
      "source": "vegetarian/fungal-derived blend (per listing)",
      "priceNote": "620mg proprietary broad-spectrum enzyme blend, labeled in mg only — no per-enzyme activity-unit (FCC/ALU/GalU/etc.) disclosure on the listing, which is itself the honest finding for this bucket: a milligram figure on a multi-enzyme blend does not tell you its actual potency. General-support positioning for otherwise-healthy adults; the underlying clinical evidence for broad-spectrum blends in this evidence pack is thin (small, short, single-center trials, one 100% manufacturer-authored)."
    },
    {
      "brand": "NOW Foods",
      "product": "NOW Super Enzymes (90ct)",
      "slug": "now-super-enzymes-90ct",
      "useCase": "broad-spectrum-mainstream",
      "evidenceTier": "weak-broad-spectrum",
      "servingSize": "1 capsule",
      "servings": 90,
      "price": 15.1,
      "costPerServing": 0.17,
      "unitsDisclosed": false,
      "source": "porcine pancreatin + bromelain, ox bile, papain (per NOW's product description)",
      "priceNote": "Contains bromelain, ox bile, pancreatin, and papain per NOW's own product description — pancreatin is typically pork-derived, so this is NOT a vegetarian/vegan/kosher/halal-friendly product, unlike the Nutricost and Pure Encapsulations picks in this comparison. Total blend mg per capsule not confirmed against the physical label this pass. General-support positioning; broad-spectrum-blend evidence in this pack is thin."
    },
    {
      "brand": "Lactaid",
      "product": "Fast Act Caplets (96ct)",
      "slug": "lactaid-fast-act-caplets-96ct",
      "useCase": "targeted-lactose-intolerance",
      "evidenceTier": "strong-targeted",
      "servingSize": "1 caplet, with the first bite of dairy",
      "servings": 96,
      "price": 20.54,
      "costPerServing": 0.21,
      "unitsDisclosed": true,
      "source": "microbial (Kluyveromyces lactis-derived lactase)",
      "priceNote": "Label states ~9,000 FCC lactase per caplet (per the product's own marketing copy — not independently re-confirmed against the physical Supplement Facts panel this pass). Label range is 1-2 caplets depending on the size of the dairy serving; cost shown is for 1 caplet. Take WITH the first bite/sip of dairy, not before or after."
    },
    {
      "brand": "Pure Encapsulations",
      "product": "Digestive Enzymes Ultra (180ct)",
      "slug": "pure-encapsulations-digestive-enzymes-ultra-180ct",
      "useCase": "broad-spectrum-premium",
      "evidenceTier": "weak-broad-spectrum",
      "servingSize": "2 capsules",
      "servings": 90,
      "price": 66.5,
      "costPerServing": 0.74,
      "unitsDisclosed": false,
      "source": "vegetarian, 13-enzyme blend (per listing)",
      "priceNote": "~391mg, 13-enzyme blend per 2-capsule serving (per listing) — mg-labeled, no per-enzyme activity-unit disclosure confirmed on the listing. The most expensive per-serving pick in this comparison by a wide margin; premium/hypoallergenic vegetarian positioning, not stronger clinical evidence than the other broad-spectrum picks."
    }
  ]
}