RELIEVING SINUSITIS
Bromelain may be helpful as supportive therapy to reduce the symptoms of sinusitis and related conditions that affect breathing and the nasal passages.
A 2016 review of studies suggests that bromelain may reduce the duration of sinusitis symptoms in children, improve breathing, and reduce nasal inflammation.
A 2006 systematic review reports that bromelain, when a person uses it alongside standard medications, can help relieve inflammation in the sinuses. This study provides high-quality evidence, as it looked at 10 randomised control trials.
TREATING OSTEOARTHRITIS
People commonly use bromelain supplements to improve the symptoms of osteoarthritis. A 2004 review of clinical studies found that bromelain is a useful treatment for osteoarthritis, possibly due to its anti-inflammatory effects. The researchers say that further research is needed into the effectiveness and suitable dosages.
However, this is an older study, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) says that the research to date is mixed about whether bromelain, alone or with other medications, is effective in treating osteoarthritis.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS
Along with reducing nasal inflammation in sinusitis, bromelain may also reduce inflammation elsewhere in the body. According to a 2016 review of studies, research in cell and animal models has suggested that bromelain can reduce certain compounds associated with cancer inflammation and tumour growth.
Bromelain also may help stimulate a healthy immune system to release inflammation-fighting immune system compounds. The review also suggests that bromelain can reduce transforming growth factor beta, which is a compound associated with inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis and osteomyelofibrosis.
However, scientists had conducted many of these studies on mice or in a cell-based laboratory setting, so researchers do not currently know the effects that bromelain has on humans.
ANTICANCER EFFECTS
Bromelain may have anticancer effects both on cancer cells and by improving inflammation in the body and boosting the immune system, according to a 2010 review in the journal Cancer Letters.
However, the NIH says that there is currently not enough evidence to suggest that bromelain has any effects on cancer.
ENHANCING DIGESTION
Some people take bromelain to relieve stomach upset and the symptoms of digestive disorders. Due to its inflammation-reducing properties,
Some people use it as an adjunct therapy to treat inflammatory bowel disorders.The NIH state that there is not enough evidence for using bromelain to aid digestion.
Animal studies have suggested that bromelain can reduce the effects of some bacteria that affect the intestine, such as Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholera. These are both common causes of diarrhoea.
WEIGHT LOSS
supplement manufacturers are marketing bromelain as a weight loss aid. They state that the enzymes in bromelain can increase the speed at which the body digests fats. However, there is little research to suggest that bromelain could help a person lose weight.
BROMELAIN FOR THE SKIN
As already mentioned, bromelain has significant anti-inflammatory effects and these have been documented in several clinical trials.
Bromelain is effective because of the following reasons:
-Bromelain inhibits excessive inflammation and pro-inflammatory cytokines which may impair the healing process of the skin.
-Bromelain is able to reduce oedema.
-Bromelain can improve the effectiveness of antibiotics and may be useful in improving recovery time and wound care.
-Bromelain is able to help improve debridement of wounds which have the necrotic tissue in infections and burns.
TREATMENT OF BURNS
Multiple studies have shown that proteolytic enzymes such as bromelain are able to significantly reduce the amount of time it takes for wounds to heal and close. In a study published in 2017, researchers took 26 subjects who were aged between 18 – 78 years and had suffered from facial burns. Enzymatic debridement resulted in much faster healing time compared to the group that used standard treatment.
The group who received bromelain treatment had their wounds close in 19 days compared to 42 days for the standard surgical debridement. Scar quality was also superior by the end of 12 months in the bromelain group. In an earlier study published in 2014, researchers used bromelain for debridement of deep wounds. As with the previous study I mentioned, they showed significant results for the treatment group.
