The Genius Brand Digestion Optimizer: Gut Health Is Key

One of the “not so sexy” part of fitness is digestion and gut health. In fact, I would venture to say that this is an area disregarded by 95%+ of those who consider themselves fitness enthusiasts. In the world today, prebiotic and probiotics claims are hitting the market left and right with items such as Kombucha, Yogurt, Cereal and even Snack Bars. So if the entire world of food commerce knows that gut health is a trend, why doesn’t the fitness community?

It’s a great question and one of the answers is there hasn’t been many all-in-one solutions for digestive health in the sports nutrition space. Many of us may use a probiotic, but let’s be honest, they are expensive to the point where most people rather invest that money into a $40 pre-workout. Others may use Apple Cider Vinegar, which can help with some GI issues, but overall it doesn’t help the body utilize macro and micro-nutrients better.

The solution? The Genius Brand Digestion Optimizer. It is important to understand what is in this supplement and how it works to fully appreciate the science behind the formula. 

DigeZyme® (50mg)

DigeZyme® is a multi-enzyme complex from Sabinsa. It is a unique blend of 5 specific enzymes, viz. α-amylase (starch hydrolyzing enzyme), protease (protein hydrolyzing enzyme), lipase (Fat hydrolyzing enzyme), cellulase (cellulose hydrolyzing enzyme), and lactase (lactose hydrolyzing enzyme).

Each enzyme has a distinct feature and benefit:

• α–Amylase: Breaks down carbohydrates, such as starch, glycogen and polysaccharides into smaller units
• Cellulase: Breaks down cellulose and chitin. It helps to free nutrients in both fruits and vegetables
• Lipase: Breaks down lipids, improves fat utilization and supports healthy gallbladder function
• Protease: Breaks down protein and peptides, supports immune function
• Lactase: Breaks down lactose (milk sugar) and useful for lactose intolerance

Enzymes play a large role in digestion. Many of us are deficient of enzymes, which can cause issues like lactose intolerance (deficient on lactase), gut bloat and other digestive health issues. Enzymes can also play a role in brain activity, weight management, joint health and muscle recovery (reduction in DOMS).

According to Sabinsa, the recommended daily dose of DigeZyme® is 50mg. 

Gingever (100mg)

From the makers of Capsimax, a popular cayenne pepper fat burner additive, we get Gingever. Gingever is a unique form of ginger. Ginger has been shown to help improve digestive health, joint health and immune system support. For decades, people have been supplementing with ginger to aid in gut health.

The unique thing about Gingever is it’s a highly potent ginger supplement containing 30% bioactives and a minimum of 25% gingerols. What does this mean? This means you can pack what was once a 1,000mg dose into a 60mg capsule. The recommended dosage per day is 60-180mg per the manufacture. 

Actazin® (200mg)

Actazin® is a form of non-GMO New Zealand Hayward kiwifruit. This little unique ingredient helps improve bowel regularity, which is an issue with a lot of people suffering from digestive health issues.

Actazin® is extremely high in fiber, thus making it a great ingredient for bowel movement regularity. It has unique hydration properties. In fact, this kiwi fruit has the capacity to swell at 3x the volume of the original fruit.

Actazin® is considered a prebiotic supplement designed to aid in overall gut health, bowel movement and protein digestion.

In studies, the company used 600mg and 2,400mg. Both produced significant increases in bowel movements.

Bromelain (500mg)

Bromelain is an enzyme found in the stem and fruit of pineapple. Research suggests that Bromelain is effective at breaking down proteins into their simpler forms of amino acids. Bromelain is especially beneficial for those who are on high-protein diets (hey bodybuilders, we’re talking to you!)

Because Bromelain is effective at breaking down proteins, it also helps with your bowel regularity, much like Actazin®.

Recommended dosage of Bromelain is 80-400mg per day, two to three times per day. This means you’d want to get approximately 160-1,200mg per day, preferably with meals.

Lipase (5,000 FIP)

Lipase is an ancreatic enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of fats to fatty acids and glycerol or other alcohols. Lipase does a great job of helping break down the butter fat in your food. If you look at the macro-nutrients, Lipase is responsible for fat, Amylase is responsible for carbs and Protease is responsible for protein.

Lipase also aids in weight loss, irritable bowel syndrome, Celiac disease, cholesterol and nutrient absorption.

Recommended dosage of Lipase is 6,000 LU 3x per day (18,000 LU per day). For the record, 1 FIP = ~2.5 LU. This means we are getting approximately 12,500 LU per dosage.

Betaine HCl (400mg)

Supplementing with Betaine HCl helps with stomach acid levels. Betaine HCL increases the level of hydrochloric acid in the stomach necessary for proper digestion and assimilation of nutrients from food. Normal levels of hydrochloric acid are required for complete digestion of proteins and absorption of amino acids.

Having low levels of stomach acid can lead to many issues, including illness. Having a build-up of “bad stuff” in your stomach that is delayed in digestion can lead to illness.

The proper dosage of Betaine HCl depends on many factors. You should start out by taking Betaine HCl with a meal, approximately 650mg or less to assess your tolerance.

Pepsin (80mg)

The Chief. Pepsin is known as the chief digestive enzyme in the stomach, which breaks down proteins into polypeptides. For those of you not familiar with Pepsin, it is what causes damage when you have “acid reflux.”

Pepsin is very important in breaking down proteins into their amino acid state, which are the building blocks to muscle.

Dosage of Pepsin varies, but caps on the market today range from 150-300mg per tablet.

GutGard® (50mg)

GutGard® is an extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra, which has been shown to help aid in indigestion. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, patients who received 75mg, twice/day of GutGard®, experienced significantly less indigestion than the placebo group. GutGard® is great for heartburn and management of H. pylori.

Recommended dosage of GutGard® is 150mg per day.

Final Takeaway

As you can see from the ingredient label breakdown, Digestion Optimizer from The Genius Brand  should be a staple in your daily supplement routine. I would recommend you take it 2-3x per day. In a perfect world, you would take 3x daily with your breakfast, lunch and dinner (but if you’re like me, I eat 7-8x per day). This will ensure you get the optimal dosages of the ingredients. 

The unit is 45-servings (3 capsules a serving) so if you take this 3x per day, you are at a 15-serving unit for approximately $40. In comparison to probiotics, this price is in line with them.

Digestion Optimizer uses clinically studied ingredients at doses that prove to be beneficial to gut and digestive health.