Quercetin With Bromelain Benefits
Quercetin and bromelain are both bioactive plant compounds with potential benefits within the body. Pineapple is an edible fruit found in many tropical regions, considered by some cultures to have medicinal properties due to a high bromelain content. Bromelain has garnered this medical reputation overtime. Pineapple extracts contain large quantities of bromelain. It is considered to be a gut microbial-symbiotic supporting food, encouraging optimal gut health with diverse gut bacteria.
Bromelain is found in the highest quantities of the stem of pineapple and can be produced quite easily into a food supplement. Bromelain is absorbed quite easily into human intestines, with a 40% absorption rate, without losing its activity as a whole protein. Seems like an odd thing but yes that is certainly possible, dipeptides or dual amino proteins are also absorbable in the intestines.
This emphasises the importance of bromelain in supporting optimal protein intake and as a potential therapeutic plant molecule. It has been used to treat sports injuries and mild inflammation. Bromelain supplementation also seems to have minimal side effects.
Quercetin is an antioxidant molecule present in high quantities in some plants. Because of its anti-inflammatory potential, it could be considered alongside bromelain as a potential supporting remedy certain diseases. These would include recovery from inflammatory diseases and injuries.
Taking quercetin with bromelain would certainly form an interesting partnership for use in a supplement, with a range of potential uses and benefits. Let’s take a closer look at both quercetin and bromelain for their potential health benefits.
Bromelain
Bromelain is a protein digesting enzyme. This means that this protein, made naturally by plants, is able to identify other protein groups and break them down. Bromelain is generally found in higher amounts in pineapple fruits than other fruits.
In terms of health benefits, research shows bromelain has antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory effects. Although, supplements with bromelain seem to have lower effect on inflammation itself relative to potent antioxidants.
Bromelain For Inflammatory Diseases And Muscle Recovery
Because of its protein degrading effects it encourages better absorption of core amino acids from food and this is why it may positively influence osteoarthritic outcomes. It has been shown to be active in the digestive tract.
In the digestive tract, bromelain will breakdown amino acids from proteins you eat. This means that lets say, you consume whey protein, bromelain will help with breaking down as many of the proteins in whey into as small amino acids as they can. For this reason, it is considered to be an enzyme that can support optimal digestion.
This could have potential effects on aiding muscle gains at the gym, not just osteoarthritis, through improved amino acid intake. Amino acids, found in protein, are very important for muscle maintenance and growth too. There is evidence that bromelain can help with muscle recovery and soreness post exercise.
Bromelain Immunomodulation
The ability of bromelain to improve amino acid uptake may also be behind its ability to offer immunomodulatory effects in the body. Bromelain can improve the responses of some important immune cells. This is also why bromelain supplements might be able to encourage an improved inflammatory system response in the body, in some cases. This improved inflammatory effect is also why it effects arthritis so well in some studies.
Bromelain Anti-Cancer Properties
Bromelain may also promote healthy cell cycles and protect against cancerous cellular activities. There have been a small number of studies covering a reduced tumor formation and well regulated cell death pathways with bromelain preparations. Bromelain seems to effect certain genes that improve cell cycle outcomes. This includes increasing cellular apoptosis and autophagy. This is largely why bromelain has negating effects on some cancers in studies.
Bromelain And Cardiovascular Disorders
Other therapeutic effects of bromelain include treating cardiovascular disorders and thrombotic diseases of the blood vessels.
Cardiovascular diseases are of increasing clinical importance because of how many people are affected by CVD. There have been several studies concerned with reducing one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, the blocking of blood vessels.
Bromelain physically disrupts vessel blockages. It is able to interact with platelets and also dissolves atherosclerotic plaques quite well. Results from bromelain studies on improving these sorts of cardiovascular health risks are really positive. Wide-scale reductions in inflammatory symptoms were seen in patients too.
Bromelain may also be able to dilute the blood, which could be of benefit to those at risk of heart diseases. Bromelain activates heart cell conserving properties within cells, which may be because of its ability to improve amino acid availability. This compound seems to help the recovery of various organs and also muscle, which supports this. There seem to be a number of heart protective effects attributable to bromelain.
Bromelain Antimicrobial Activity
Some studies have used bromelain to treat lung diseases such as bronchitis. bromelain could have anti-viral or antimicrobial activity through its mild protein digesting properties. It certainly seems to have effects on bacteria and worms, being able to inhibit their growth.
Bromelain is thought to be able to digest bacterial cell walls, weakening their structure so they are more susceptible to damage. Antimicrobial effects were seen against Streptococcus strains. Bromelain is also a mild antifungal compound with effects against fungi such as Candida albicans and Fusarium species.
Quercetin
Quercetin is a flavonoid molecule found in large quantities in some fruits and vegetables. This molecule has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Flavonoids have unique chemical bonds that given them their properties and benefits within the body.
Quercetin As An Antioxidant
The high strength antioxidant activity from quercetin is able to regulate the production of inflammatory cytokines in the body. This is one aspect of the inflammation process, that needs antioxidants to recover cellular parts.
Cytokines are really important in inflammatory diseases, so antioxidant quercetin could play a key role in inflammation management. Clinically, quercetin has been shown to reduce arthritic symptoms too. When joints become very stiff and have been overused, anti-inflammatory antioxidants like quercetin are well reported to rescue joints from pain. So, this is therefore no surprise.
Because of its strong antioxidant abilities, quercetin could help to maintain body homeostasis. Quercetin could also act as a cancer preventative agent too. As an antioxidant, quercetin protects the body from harmful free radicals. These unstable molecules can cause cell damage. These damages, for example to DNA or other molecules can lead cancer or other diseases.
Quercetin, like bromelain, may support improved athletic performance. In one key study, athletes suffered from reduced oxidative stress post exercise. This finding supports the use of quercetin supplementation for enhanced muscle performance. Other studies have also found similar results. They also found that quercetin may support neuromuscular performance during and after resistance training.
Quercetin might be able to help protect the cells of the nervous system and promote spinal cord recovery. However, these studies need more evidence.
Quercetin And Infections
Quercetin may be able to supress incidences of illness post intensive exercise. 1000mg quercetin per day provided this effect in one study. Anti-pathogen and anti-viral responses have been seen with quercetin use. Quercetin could inhibit the progression of some viral diseases. For example, it was observed to inhibit the entry of some flu viruses. Quercetin is also an immune system stimulant. It may upregulate certain genes responsible for defensive responses to microbes, including viruses.
Quercetin And Bromelain Supplements
Bromelain is thought to improve the intake of compounds like quercetin, which is why some studies look at the synergistic effects of both. The beneficial effects of the flavonoid quercetin that we’ve mentioned, such as antiviral, anti-cancer or anti-inflammatory action, could naturally be improved with bromelain. This is one benefit to taking a combinatory supplement containing quercetin with bromelain.
There are also areas where these two compounds have overlapping beneficial effects. One key area where these two compounds overlap is with anti-inflammatory diseases. One study looked at the effects of bromelain with quercetin together in a supplement, noting their benefits on inflammatory arthritis. Bromelain with quercetin reduced arthritic inflammatory markers down to normal levels after 30 days. In patients with pelvic pain syndrome, quercetin with bromelain managed to significantly improve symptoms and therefore was of benefit to the patients. Animal studies have also confirmed this effect on some inflammatory conditions.
These are quite significant results from bromelain and quercetin use. This suggests that their use together may be able to effectively regulate parts of chronic autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Another study considers bromelain and quercetin to have very similar inhibitory effects on histamine. They may enhance each other’s effects on histamine, a compound heavily implicated in allergic responses. This would mean that combinations could support allergy suffers, but more studies need to be completed.
The combinatory effect of quercetin and bromelain could be of benefit to reducing viral infections and their severity. This is due to quercetin’s natural antiviral properties and bromelain’s protein digesting effects. This effect is quite interesting and is possibly one of the most powerful effects of quercetin and bromelain combinations. Again, this is an area that needs a little more study.
Summary
Independently, quercetin and bromelain have potential benefits within the body.
Bromelain has garnered a reputation overtime for health effects including helping with sports injury recovery, mild inflammatory diseases and cardiovascular disorders. Bromelain is also really bioavailable, with minimal side effects. It has a 40% absorption rate into the body.
Bromelain is a protein digesting enzyme that improves the availability of some amino acids. This is why it may be able to help with injury recovery, including helping with inflammatory disorders. Bromelain has been seen to disrupt vessel blockages, with blood thinning properties, that could reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases. It may also have anti-microorganismal effects.
Quercetin has antioxidant effects within the body. Independent of bromelain, studies show it can assist with recovery from inflammatory diseases and support muscle performance.
As a potent antioxidant, quercetin also seems to have anti-cancer effects within the body. It’s effects are so strong that it may improve muscle performance.
Quercetin seems to have natural anti-viral qualities that suppress the progression of viruses. This includes flu viruses. Quercetin may also be an immune stimulant, improving the body’s responses to infections.
These bioactive plant compounds could potentially work together within the body, having synergistic health effects. Bromelain may improve the intake of quercetin into the body. This would enhance the independent effects of quercetin.
Various studies suggest using quercetin and bromelain together can help sufferers of inflammatory diseases. Quercetin with bromelain could also have benefits in reducing viral infection incidence.
These two compounds seem to be a natural suit for each other. There seem to be many studies backing the potential benefits of supplements that contain both quercetin and bromelain.
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