Pineapple’s Secret Weapon: Exploring the Body’s Response to Bromelain

While the expression “you are what you eat” may be true, the real determining factor is what your body is capable of getting from those food sources. 

The idea that we can’t replace fresh food with an adequately made powder to nourish our body is simply untrue, primarily when it is used to obtain specific results. 

How does the human body process bromelain in pineapple

As we have mentioned in many of our previous articles, powdered functional superfoods are the wave of the future. Their versatility, ability to nourish, and unlimited ability to create products that focus on critical active compounds provide unique advantages over the fresh version of those foods. 

Therefore, there are many significant advantages to using powders, especially from pineapples.

Bromelain: Pineapples Proteolytic Enzyme renowned for its many potential benefits

In simple terms, proteolytic enzymes break down proteins and can hydrolyze peptide bonds in proteins. These types of enzymes are produced and secreted by the pancreas. 

The three main proteolytic enzymes are pepsin, trypsin, and chymotrypsin. Pineapple and papaya are these potent enzymes' two most significant food sources. The primary proteolytic enzyme found in pineapple is bromelain. 

Bromelain is a complex mixture of substances that can be extracted from the pineapple's stem and fibrous fruit core. It is a crude extract that contains many enzymes, including the following. 

• Phosphatase: An enzyme that controls many cellular functions like cell cycle checkpoints and cellular mobility.

• Glucosidase: Enzymes responsible for the hydrolytic breakdown of carbohydrates.

• Peroxidase: Its function is to break down hydrogen peroxide.

• Cellulase: An enzyme that breaks down cellulose and other polysaccharides into simple sugars. 

However, among this complex mixture is a type of enzyme known as protease. A protease's primary job is to break down proteins that are either dead or damaged and remove these damaged protein bonds. When consumed with food, they break down protein from your food into amino acids, allowing for proper integration into the bloodstream for a wide range of uses. 

Proteases can be absorbed into the bloodstream without food, clearing out damaged or dead protein.   

Proteins consist of one or more chains of amino acids called polypeptides. Specifically, bromelain is a cysteine protease that breaks explicitly apart proteins wherever they have a cysteine amino acid. While the rumors are true that the peel, core, crown, and flesh all contain bromelain, the stem has the highest concentration. 

However, all is not lost because, according to the International Society of Horticultural Science, specific varieties of pineapple have four to eight times higher concentrations of bromelain in the pulp than others. Therefore, they suggest that consuming a 250 ML glass of pineapple juice contains sufficient bromelain to support general health maintenance. 

What exactly does Bromelain do? 

Before we discuss bromelain’s potential role in supporting a healthy inflammation response, it is essential to understand the principles of inflammation. It is well-known and confirmed by science that inflammation is considered one of the driving forces in the disease process. 

However, it is vital to understand how exactly it affects human health. The following was stated in a review discussing Inflammatory responses and inflammation-associated diseases in organs.

• Inflammation is a biological response of the immune system that various factors, including pathogens, damaged cells, and toxic compounds, can trigger. 

• These factors may induce acute and/or chronic inflammatory responses in the heart, pancreas, liver, kidney, lung, brain, intestinal tract, and reproductive system, potentially leading to tissue damage or disease. 

• Infectious and non-infectious agents and cell damage activate inflammatory cells and trigger inflammatory signaling pathways, most commonly the NF-κB, MAPK, and JAK-STAT pathways.

The inflammation theory of disease believes that when persistent in the inflamed tissue, inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and chemokines can induce cell proliferation, survival, and growth and modify their differentiation status, forcing them to undergo a transformation process. It is also believed that if chronic inflammation underlies many diseases, it would make sense to recognize it as a condition that should be treated in its own right as a preventative therapy. 

However, one problem with this approach is that chronic inflammation does not always cause the disease. The disease process requires additional genetic and environmental factors. Therefore, attempts to alleviate chronic inflammation are confined to cases where it is already clear that disease has resulted.

The following was stated in a paper discussing the potential role of bromelain in clinical and therapeutic applications. “Bromelain is widely administered for its well-recognized properties, such as its anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic and fibrinolytic effects, anticancer activity and immunomodulatory effects, and being a wound healing and circulatory improvement agent.” 

From what we understand, based on various studies, bromelain has the following mechanisms of action:

• Bromelain may inhibit the activation of Akt-regulated nuclear factor kappa B activation. NF Kappa Beta is a protein signaling molecule that triggers inflammation.

• Bromelain may selectively inhibit the biosynthesis of proinflammatory prostaglandins. Prostaglandins play a key role in the inflammation process and contribute to developing signs of acute inflammation. 

• Bromelain may reduce the secretion of IL-1B, IL-6, and TNF-a when immune cells are already stimulated by inflammation-induced overproduction of cytokines. 

Bromelain has a growing list of research backing the claim for its role in modulating inflammation. 

The following was stated in a clinical trial looking at the role of bromelain in treating patients with pityriasis lichenoid's Chronica (A condition characterized by lost lasting skin lesions). 

• All patients showed complete clinical recovery after treatment. 

• After 12 months of follow-up, two patients experienced a relapse 5-6 months after therapy was suspended but responded to another brief cycle of treatment. 

• No side effects were encountered during therapy.

Therefore, it was concluded that “bromelain can be considered an effective therapeutic option for PLC; its efficacy could be related to its anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and/or anti-viral properties.” 

Bromelain contraindications

While bromelain is a remarkable compound that serves the body well in many situations, it is still an enzyme that provides for greater utilization of everything you consume, including pharmaceuticals. For this reason, it is essential to discuss its potential pitfalls, as Bromelain has been shown to do the following.

• Bromelain prolongs prothrombin time and activates partial thromboplastin time by inhibiting the activation of intrinsic and extrinsic pathways, thereby preventing clot formation. 

• Additionally, Bromelain prolongs blood clotting time by increasing fibrin cleavage without degrading fibrinogen.

Therefore, if you take or plan on taking an anticoagulant like Warfarin, you should be cautious about mixing the two and speak to your healthcare provider to decide which compound is best for you. Furthermore, because of its enzymatic abilities, bromelain may increase the effectiveness of many other categories of pharmaceuticals like antibiotics and sedatives. According to Mount Sinai Medical Institution, one study showed that combining bromelain and amoxicillin raised amoxicillin in the blood. However, the results of other studies have been conflicting. 

In conclusion, pineapples are incredibly nourishing and potent foods that contain powerful compounds that may serve medicinal purposes for a broad spectrum of issues. 

Most importantly, bromelain’s ability to work as a catalyst may provide new and innovative ways to enhance your supplement protocol.     

To view our Organic Electrolyte Pineapple Coconut Water product description, go here: Organic Electrolyte Pineapple Coconut Water

To review our Organic Pineapple Juice Powder product description, go here: Organic Pineapple Juice Powder

The Author’s Bio
Michael Stuchiner is a Master Herbalist and proud graduate of The School of Natural Healing and has worked in different areas of this field for over 25 years. He is a retired elite-level powerlifter who competed for 27 years. As an avid international traveler, he is passionate about the use of medicinal and tonic herbs, as well as foods traditionally found in local markets in the 35 countries he has visited. Michael shares his years of experience as a Master Herbalist, traveler, and athlete through the hundreds of articles he has written and his YouTube channel, "A Master Herbalist Perspective." He is considered a true educator in this field. For more articles written by Mike, go here: Master Herbalist.