Enzymes
What are enzymes?
Enzymes are very special proteins. They are delicate and sensitive and can easily be inactivated or denatured which completely stops their action. Enzymes are a lifelike substance found in all living cells whether they are animal or plant cells. They are biologically active proteins that work as catalysts and regulators, making things happen yet not to an excess. Enzymes are never used up in the reactions they cause to happen. They can be used by the body over and over again until they are harmed, denatured or destroyed by toxins. They are very unique and extremely specific in the action they have on the body. In most cases, there is a specific enzyme for each unique biochemical reaction that takes place in the body. Each specific bond that is formed or broken has a specific enzyme present to make it happen. Enzymes contain energy. They are at the hub of our life and without enzymes, we could not be alive. Sometimes enzymes are electron donors, sometimes they cause oxidation, and sometimes they add a hydrogen molecule or oxygen and hydrogen. Whatever they do, it is always very specific and they do it over and over again.
Clearing the Clutter: digestive enzymes, metabolic enzymes and food enzymes
When enzymes work in the digestive tract to help us digest our food, they are called digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes turn the food we eat into energy and unlock this energy for use in the body. When enzymes work in our bodies to help us destroy a bacteria, a damaged cell, or a cancer cell, and when they create a substance we need, they are called metabolic hormones. The body spends a lot of energy making enzymes and digesting food. These enzymes it makes are secreted along the digestive tract. Most are produced by the pancreas; however, the liver, gallbladder, small intestine, stomach and colon also play important roles in the production of the enzymes. It is because of these enzymes that nutrients are available to be absorbed into the blood stream and waste can be discarded.
The body becomes weakened when foods are not digested properly. When there are not enough enzymes present for proper digestion, proteins in our food will putrefy, fats will turn rancid and the carbohydrates will ferment causing many side effects. These undigested food particles may then leak back into the bloodstream from the colon and create further toxicity (called leaky gut). They body does not get the nutrition it needs and the gut becomes unhealthy and overgrown with bacteria that are not considered normal flora. It is estimated that 90% of the energy expended by the body goes to digestion. Digestion is a huge undertaking, and by taking digestive enzymes, the load is lessened, more energy and nutrition is consumed, and in the long run the body is able to create more metabolic enzymes for the other systems. These systems include the immune system, cardiovascular system, endocrine system and nervous system.
Metabolic enzymes
Metabolic enzymes catalyze and regulate every biochemical reaction that occurs within the human body, making them essential to cellular function and health. They have been called the “spark of life” and are truly vital for life and essential for cellular function and health. They either speed up or slow down the chemical reactions within the cells for detoxification and energy production. They enable us to see, hear, feel, move and think. Every organ, every tissue and all 100 trillion cells in our body depend upon the reaction of metabolic enzymes and their energy factors. Without these metabolic enzymes, cellular life would be impossible. Our bodies naturally produce both digestive and metabolic enzymes as they are needed.
Food enzymes
Food enzymes are introduced to the body when we eat raw foods. Raw foods naturally contain and provide a source of digestive enzymes when ingested. However, raw food manifests only enough enzymes to digest that particular food, not enough to be stored in the body for later use. The exceptions to this are foods such as pineapple and papaya, the sources of enzymes bromelain and papain. Cooking and processing destroys all of the enzymes in food.
Clearing the Clutter: Plant based enzymes vs. Animal based enzymes
Plant-based enzymes are the most common favorite because of the bad name animal products have had for the past 30-40 years. 80% of the enzyme supplements sold in health food stores today are plant based. 20% are animal/glandular with a plant enzyme base. Because of modern day farming practices where animals are confined and fed foods with pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and genetically modified grains, many people have shied away from animal products, for good reason. Plant based enzymes are accepted by omnivores and vegetarians alike. They are grown in a laboratory setting and extracted from aspergillus, which is a type of fungus. The enzymes harvested from aspergillus are most commonly called plant-based, but can also be called microbial and fungal enzymes. Plant-based enzymes are considered the strongest and they can break down more fat, protein and carbohydrates in a larger pH range than any other enzymes. The plant-based enzymes are often 10-100 times more active than other choices. They are active over a much broader pH range, even with a pH as low as 3. This allows them to be active for much more of the digestive tract. One English study showed a small dose of acid-stable lipase from a plant source was more effective than a dosage 25 times larger containing conventional pancreatin in the treatment of malabsorption and malnutrition due to pancreatic enzyme deficiency. (Griffin, S. M., et al, Acid resistant lipase as replacement therapy in chronic exocrine insufficiency: a study in dogs, Gut, 30:1012-1015, 1989)
In addition to plant-based enzymes there are plant enzymes called Bromelain and papain. Bromelain breaks down protein and also clots milk. It is derived from the pineapple stem. Like pepsin and papain, bromelain is activated at a temperature higher than normal body temperature, which is why it is helpful for inflammation. Papain is an enzyme derived from the latex of papaya. This enzyme becomes active at a pH of 6.0 to 8.0 and requires a temperature above normal body temperature. Like bromelain, it is also a good digestive enzyme to use to help with inflammation.
Animal digestive enzymes such as pancreatin, pepsin, chymotrypsin and trypsin are enzymes from the pancreas, stomach and small intestine of animals. These enzymes require a pH of 8.0 to become active. They do not have the broad pH range of the plant based enzymes. These enzymes support glands and are also helpful with inflammation. They come from the pancreases of slaughter house animals. Wilderness Family Naturals carries Enzymedica digestive enzymes which are completely vegetarian and do not contain any animal digestive enzymes.
How to harm or hinder an enzyme: Inactive vs. Denatured
There are two things that can stop the action of an enzyme. Since they are very specific, they are greatly affected by pH and temperature, though plant-based enzymes do have a larger range of temperature and pH where they can be active. If the pH or temperature does not meet their requirement, they can become inactive. Inactive means they cannot work in those conditions. Once the conditions change, these enzymes can become active again, because they were not permanently damaged. Enzymes may also need to be in a water medium to be active. When enzymes are denatured, however, this means they are damaged and lose all activity. They are chemically changed and the body will typically use them as a protein. This most often happens when a food is cooked. Dr. Howell, who is considered one of the earliest pioneers in the field of enzymes, showed that a temperature of 118 degrees F for 15 minutes would kill enzymes in every food he studied.
|
