Digestive enzymes

Types of digestive enzymes

Digestive enzymes benefits and uses

Sources of digestive enzymes

References

Types of digestive enzymes

• proteases and peptidases split proteins into amino acids.
• lipases split fat into fatty acids and glycerol.
• carbohydrases split carbohydrates such as starch and sugars into simple sugars such as glucose.
• nucleases split nucleic acids into nucleotides.

Digestive enzymes are produced in the mouth, stomach, pancreas, small intestine and large intestine. A vast range of other enzymes are also produced around the body, and they are involved in virtually every biological process.

Dr Edward Howell (1) argues that the unnecessary, unnatural and unabated depletion of the body's enzyme production is "one of the paramount causes of premature aging and early death" and "the underlying cause of almost all degenerative disease." "When it gets to the point that you can't make certain enzymes, then your life ends."

Most raw foods contain their own digestive enzymes, which assist with their own digestion. When raw foods are heated much above body temperature, these enzymes are destroyed. Pasteurised foods and drinks, and most processed foods are enzyme-dead. If you eat mostly processed enzyme-dead food, it is difficult to stay slim and healthy. The active enzymes in raw foods assist your digestive system to extract all the nutrients from the food, and you will feel less hungry. Unless your digestive system is in perfect condition (a rare occurrence), the food digests slowly and partially. Incompletely digested food provides a medium for harmful bacteria, yeasts and parasites to thrive. Indigestion and gas are the early warnings. The fat that accumulates around the stomach, upper thighs, neck, major lymph nodes and other bulging parts of the body contains a high level of these partially digested fat-soluble toxins.

If you eat a diet based on just a few foods, you may deplete the supply of specific digestive enzymes. This is typical of the Standard American Diet, which is based on just a few foods like potatoes, tomatoes, beef, sugar and wheat.

Digestive enzymes benefits and uses

• Digestion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, depending on the enzyme. Better digestion means improved absorption of the nutrients in those foods. Enzymes also help with a range of digestive ailments, such as bile problems and poor fat digestion.
• Cleaning your lymphatic system using lymphatic enzymes.
• Weight gain. If you have had difficulty putting on weight, particularly muscle bulk, the improved digestion of proteins and other nutrients will help.
• Weight loss. A processed food or other low-nutrient diet leads to obesity. One of the reasons is the body's hunger for the nutrients it is missing. Taking enzymes along with a varied, high-nutrient diet ensures that a wide array of nutrients are actually digested and become available.
• Longevity and good health. If your digestive system is working well (as in most young people) you absorb the nutrients from your food efficiently, and feel satisfied with smaller quantities of food. Reducing your calorie intake is one of the few methods which scientists widely agree can extend your life.

Sources of digestive enzymes

• Fermented foods are one of the richest sources of life-prolonging enzymes. Examples of home-produced probiotic living foods include sauerkraut, milk kefir, water kefir and rejuvelac.
• Some fruits contain protease digestive enzymes. Examples include kiwifruit containing actinidin (about 6-10 per day); pineapple containing bromelain (about 2-3 cups per day); green pawpaw or papaya (with just a tinge of yellow) containing papain (1 small fruit per day, including skin and seeds if you wish). Important - only eat the skin of organic pawpaws.
• Probiotics. Various bacteria produce a wide range of digestive and other enzymes, and greatly assist digestion.
• Digestive enzyme supplements, which contain protease, lipase, amylase, glucoamylase, invertase, alpha-galactosidase, malt diastase, cellulase, bromelain and papain.

Store supplements in a cool, dry place. A single, short instance of heating these enzymes much above body temperature can destroy them completely.

References

1. Howell, Edward. Enzyme Nutrition. 1986.