ALL WOMEN lack energizing digestive enzymes

! “Digestive enzymes are essential to our ability to get necessary nutrients from our food. They break down the food we eat,” explains integrative physician Fred Pescatore, M.D., author of Thin For

Good. But he adds that 100 percent of women are deficient in the GI heroes, which include pepsin, gastrin and mucin. That’s a problem since a shortfall raises the risk of fatigueinducing vitamin and mineral deficiencies, plus bloat, stomachaches and more. And according to Michelle Schoffro Cook, Ph.D., author of 60

Seconds to Slim, most mainstream doctors are unfamiliar with the condition, so 90 percent of women with a deficiency go undiagnosed.

! “Aging is the most common cause of digestive enzyme deficiencies,” asserts Dr. Pescatore. “Our enzyme systems just tend to slow down as we get older.” What’s more, adds Schoffro Cook, “About 70 percent of women get no enzymes at all in their diet.” Complicating matters: Some medications, like antacids, are known to destroy digestive enzymes.

✓ A naturopathic doctor or integrative physician familiar with the condition can diagnose an enzyme deficiency, or you can take the online quiz at DigestTest.com. If you’re deficient, the strategies below can help.

Supplements can boost enzyme levels, says Dr. Pescatore. Try taking a broad-spectrum pill like Twinlab Super Enzyme Caps ($26 for 240 capsules, with each meal.

Walgreens.com)

Loading up on enzyme-rich foods will also help ease symptoms, assures Schoffro Cook. Good sources include raw fruits like pineapple, papaya and mangos, as well as nuts, seeds, sprouts and leafy green vegetables.