The number of
enzymes the body is capable of producing is
finite.
Enzymes for digestion come from two
sources:
Internally - from our own digestive organs
(digestive enzymes); and Externally - from the
food we eat (food enzymes).
Food enzymes occur naturally in raw foods and
provide the body with additional support to
break down those foods. Cooking or processing
food at temperatures greater than 118°F.
destroys all enzymes and places the entire
burden for digestion on the body.
The depletion of enzyme activity over time
leads to chronic conditions and eventually the
loss of life.
The health impact of food enzyme depletion has
been largely overlooked in allopathic medicine,
but today healthcare practitioners in many
different disciplines are recognizing the
importance of digestive enzymes. Supporting
proper digestion with enzyme supplements can
noticeably improve your health.
In fact, everyone could benefit from an enzyme
supplement taken with meals. Remember, you are
not what you eat but what you absorb.
Lack of enzymes in foods puts undue stress on
the pancreas and other digestive
enzyme-producing organs to produce all of the
enzymes required for digestion. When an excess
amount of resources is constantly used for
digestion other metabolic functions in the body
suffer, leading to chronic health problems.
The goal of enzyme supplementation is three
fold:
1) To increase digestion and absorption of
nutrients needed to maintain a healthy
body.
2) To provide adequate support for digestive
organs, relieving them of unnecessary stress
and thereby extending their productive
lives.
3) To increase availability of energy and
valuable resources that can be used for other
necessary metabolic functions. A preventive
measure to reduces the onset of dis-ease.
"The length of life is inversely proportional
to the rate of exhaustion of the enzyme
potential of an organism. The increased use of
food enzymes promotes a decreased rate of
exhaustion of the enzyme potential." (Dr.
Edward Howell, Enzyme Nutrition: The Food
Enzyme Concept¹)
Choosing The Right Enzymes
Enzymes from animal sources, such as
pancreatin, are most active in the alkaline
environment of the small intestine (pH 7.2-9.0)
after the body has already produced and
released enzymes to support digestion. This
means animal enzyme supplements do nothing to
spare the pancreas and other digestive organs
from producing an excess of enzymes.
Microbial enzymes are active over a broad pH
range (pH 2.0 to 11.0) and begin digesting food
immediately after entering the stomach. The
presence of digesting food in the stomach
signals the body to produce and release fewer
enzymes. Microbial enzymes, therefore, are the
better choice because they relieve the body of
the total burden of digestion.
What to Look For in an Enzyme
Supplement
The four enzymes commonly found in food, and
therefore, needed in an enzyme supplement
are:
- Amylase for carbohydrates and starches
digestion
- Lipase for fat digestion
- Protease for protein digestion
- Cellulase to break down fibrous
foods
Additional enzymes, such as glucoamylase,
sucrase, lactase, alpha-galactosidase, phytase
and peptidase, to enhance and support complete
digestion of each of the food groups.
When selecting an enzyme supplement be certain
that the four primary enzyme types are present
to assure digestion of all of the main food
components, while noting that additional
enzymes improve the digestive efficiency of the
supplement.
Systemic Enzyme
Therapy
For those clients that have already fallen into
dis-ease, due to poor digestion, poor
absorption or reduced metabolic enzyme
production; enzyme supplementation can also be
extremely beneficial.
In systemic enzyme therapy, larger dose of
proteases or proteolytic enzymes are taken on
an empty stomach one hour before and two hours
after a meal. This allows the enzymes to be
absorbed directly into the blood stream. It is
well documented that protease enzymes act
differently in the tissues of the body than in
the digestive tract. Once in the blood stream,
protease enzymes binds with
alpha-2-macroglobulins, shifting them into
their active form.
Research has shown certain protease enzymes
exhibit greater activity in the blood than
others and that the amount of needed for
systemic activity is often much greater than
that needed for digestion. Unfortunately, most
systematic protease products on the market
contain the same levels and combination of
protease enzymes as are found in digestive
products. Proper systemic enzyme therapy can
reduce inflammation, boost immune function,
maintain cardiovascular health, maximize
endocrine effectiveness, aid in detoxification,
promote normal respiratory function and on and
on.
Volumes of scientific research exists on the
benefits of enzymes therapy on a whole host of
physical disorders.
One randomized, placebo-controlled study
published by the University of Texas Southwest
Medical Center determined that Enzymes, Inc.
InflammEnz, a protease-based nutritional
supplement modulates the inflammatory response
and accelerates healing time by up to 17% in
77% of the patients who received it.²
When enzymes are taken in formulation with
vitamins, minerals, herbs, or phyto-nutrients
the combination improves absorption and
bio-availability of those nutrients, maximizing
healing.
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