Serrapeptase has been used in Europe and Asia since the 1980s to treat everything from pain to narrowed arteries. However, the silkworm-derived serrapeptase enzyme may hold more promise for fighting inflammatory diseases. As of May 2011, only a handful of human clinical trials investigating the effects of serrapeptase had been conducted, but with few side effects, it might be worth giving the supplement a try.
Identification
Serrapeptase is also known as serratiopeptidase and is a proteolytic enzyme, which means it chops up and digests protein. It's manufactured by bacteria in the bodies of silkworms and allows the emerging moth to escape by digesting their cocoons. Serrapeptase supplements for human consumption are made from fermented enzymes extracted from the worms and marketed as an aid to normalize inflammatory response and improve overall tissue health.
General Benefits
Although how serrapeptase works on inflammation is not completely understood, it has properties that may thin and drain the fluids formed around an injury in the body, speeding tissue repair, while at the same time preventing the release of pain-causing compounds. A January 2008 study in the "Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences" found that serratiopeptidase showed better anti-inflammatory activity on inflammation in laboratory rats than aspirin. (References 3)
Benign Fibrocystic Disease
Benign fibrocystic disease a painful condition in which noncancerous lumps form in women's breast tissue, may be caused by repeated hormonal cycles resulting in chronic inflammation. Research reported in 1989 in the "Singapore Medical Journal" demonstrated that serrapeptase given to women suffering from the condition provided moderate to marked improvement in symptoms of breast pain, swelling and firmness.
Sinusitis
Sinusitis is caused by an inflammation of the sinuses from viral, bacterial or fungal infection. One multicenter, double-blind trial in Italy gave serrapeptase to 193 subjects suffering from acute or chronic ear, nose or throat disorders, over a period of three to four days. Those treated with the supplement had significant improvement versus a placebo in severity of pain, amount of secretion and pus, difficulty in swallowing, nasal obstruction and body temperature. The researchers rated treatment as excellent or good for 97.3 percent of patients taking serrapeptase compared with only 21.9 percent in the placebo group.
Considerations
Serrapeptase hasn't been studied long enough to determine side effects, although it seems to be fairly well tolerated. A few elderly people who uses the product over a long period of time experienced gastrointestinal irritation, and some patients with a history of lung problems had an increased risk of infection when using the supplement. A typical dose is 10 mg daily for disease prevention and 20 mg for treating active inflammation.
References
- Life Extension Foundation; Serrapeptase: The Natural Anti-inflammatory; September 2003
- Smart Nutrition: Serrapeptase, A Natural Anti-Inflammatory
- "Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences"; Effect of Some Clinically Used Proteolytic Enzymes on Inflammation in Rats; Swamy Viswanatha and P. A. Patil; January 2008
- "Singapore Medical Journal"; The Treatment of Breast Engorgement with Serrapeptase (Danzen); W. H. Kee et al.; February 1989
- "Journal of International Medical Research"; Evaluation of Serratia Peptidase in Acute or Chronic Inflammation of Otorhinolaryngology Pathology; A. Mazzone; September/October 1990
