Digestive Enzymes Do More Than Just Aid Digestion

By Darrell Miller

Digestive enzymes are proteins that break down food into a form that can be used by the body. Enzymes are the body’s catalysts that make it possible for biochemical reactions to take place. Digestion of food is no more than a series of chemical reactions taking place using enzymes and the chemicals that make up our foods.

Another such enzyme is the metabolic enzymes, which help every other reaction to occur, such as cell repair, correct brain function and those needed by the immune system. There is a third type of enzyme claimed, that is called the food enzyme. This is not natural to humans, but contained in the foods we eat when raw, and that are destroyed by cooking. Originally, the human body would use the natural food enzymes to help break down the foods it ingests, but along came cooking and along with more stresses were put on our digestive enzymes, specifically the pancreas, to make up for those missing in a cooked diet.

Some digestive enzymes are created by the pancreas, and their function is to break down food into smaller molecules than can be absorbed into the blood and used in human biochemistry and physiology. When digestive enzymes are in short supply, the pancreas will spend more time producing them, at the expense of production of metabolic enzymes, and we could become ill or suffer some malfunction to a lack of chemicals and enzymes elsewhere in the body.

If digestive enzymes were provided as a supplement, then the pancreas could spend more time producing the metabolic enzymes needed for everyday life. Up to 80% of the body’s energy and enzyme production is spent on digestion and some of this could be alleviated more would be spent on the metabolism. People would feel more energetic and less drowsy immediately after a meal. Also to be considered is the proven fact that as we age, our digestion degenerates, and digestive enzyme supplements have been shown to remedy that failure and allow older people to make better use of the food they eat.

There are several enzymes and other chemicals included in digestive enzyme supplements, each having a specific role to play in the digestive processes in our bodies. Pancreatin is a commercial mixture of various enzymes produced by the pancreas, and contains amylase, protease and lipase. Amylase is responsible for breaking down carbohydrates such as starches into simple sugars, and also breaks down more complex sugars. Protease, as the name suggests, is needed to break down complex protein into single amino acids, while lipase breaks down fats and oils into fatty acids and glycerol. All of these smaller molecules are essential to the biochemistry that carries out the chemical reactions to sustain life.

The digestion of fat is improved by ox bile, which also stimulates the flow of bile from the liver that helps to digest fats. Another enzyme, papain, also helps to break down proteins. There are many different types of protein, and more than one enzyme is needed to process them. Another is pepsin, though the effectiveness of pepsin depends on the hydrochloric availability in the system, and yet another is bromelain.

Hydrochloric acid is the acid used by the digestive system to stimulate the secretion of enzymes from the pancreas and also activate certain enzymes such as pepsin. It also sterilizes the stomach by killing off many parasites and bacteria, and is the highly acidic substance that causes heartburn and the painful effects of acid reflux.

Digestive supplements that contain hydrochloric acid can supplement poor acidity in the stomach, but can also make indigestion and heartburn worse. Glutamic acid is important in metabolizing fats and sugars, and also acts as a neurotransmitter. It uses up ammonia molecules when forming glutamine, and is the only way that the brain can remove ammonia. Glutamic acid also helps to feed the brain with much needed potassium from the blood.

If there are insufficient enzymes in the food we eat, normally through overcooking and destroying what enzymes are present by excessive heat, the pancreas gets overworked trying to produce all the enzymes needed to break down our protein intake. Eventually too much is asked of it, and it can no longer meet demand of the proteolytic enzymes. Undigested protein then enters the bloodstream and can trigger off an immune response of pro-inflammatory cytokines that then cause inflammation.

Inflammation can occur in the joints, muscles and intestines, and cause significant pain and stiffness. A blend of proteolytic enzymes, taken as a supplement, can reduce inflammation by reducing the immune response and by helping to digest proteins that caused the immune response initially. However, proteolytic enzymes can also destroy lipases that digest fats, so you may want to refer to your doctor if you have a general enzyme deficiency.

Inflammation is not the only problem that can occur if food is not digested properly. Large undigested protein molecules in the blood can act as allergens by attracting the attentions of the immune system. Basically they shouldn’t be there, and the end result could be the release of histamine by the body to fight against them. Undigested food leaking into the bloodstream can also cause chronic tiredness and other undesirable symptoms.

One way to avoid this is to break down meals into specific food types, and eat mainly protein at one meal, and mainly carbohydrates at another. In that way, the enzyme demand on the pancreas is reduced. Alternatively take an enzyme supplement that is relevant to the food you are eating. A proteolytic enzyme mixture is of little benefit if you are on a high carbohydrate diet.

The most important factor to keep in mind when considering supplementing your digestive enzyme intake is that they are active chemicals, not living things.

They take part in the chemical reactions of the body, and each enzyme has a specific function in your body’s biochemistry. Always know what you are doing, and follow instructions when taking enzyme supplements of any type, and if you have any doubts, take the advice of a physician. Enzymes can do harm as well as good.

About the Author: More information can be found at http://vitanetonline.com/ where a large selection of

digestive enzymes

can be found that is specific to your needs.

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