ENZYMES – What are they and why are they so important?

What are Enzymes?

Well now what can I say about enzymes?  We would not be here without them.  

Simply put, enzymes are proteins in our bodies that essentially sustain life.  They are made from combining amino acids together to make a uniquely shaped cell.  A human cell contains 1300 enzymes in it.  Without enzymes our bodies would not function fast enough to survive. They speed up the rate over a million fold at which all of the biochemical reactions take place within our trillions of cells in our body.  The many various functions that our body performs every second of every day totally rely on these enzymes.   

The Encyclopaedia Brittanica more precisely states that it is a substance that acts as a catalyst in living organisms regulating the rate at which chemical reactions proceed without itself being altered in the process. ¹Encyclopaedia Brittanica: Enzyme; Biochemistry

Among the wide range of important functions that enzymes help control is metabolism and digestion.  

Metabolic Enzymes

Simply put, metabolism is the process in which:

a) food is converted to energy for cellular functions,

b) food is converted to building blocks for cellular growth

c) chemical reactions that eliminate waste

These processes utilise enzymes produced by our bodies.

Digestive Enzymes 

The role of digestive enzymes is to help break down food so the body can absorb nutrients. Our mouths, stomachs, and small intestines produce limited quantities of digestive enzymes. However, the majority comes from our pancreas, which floods the small intestine with enzymes when food is ingested. For instance,

• lipase, which breaks down fats
• amylase, which breaks down carbohydrates
• proteases and peptidases, which break down proteins.

When nutrients are broken into molecules, they are absorbed through the wall of our small intestine and passed into our blood which is the delivery system used to distribute these essential nutrients throughout the body.² Harvard Health Publishing-Harvard Medical School:Harvard University; Harvard Health Letter-“Gut Reaction”

However, sometimes our bodies produce insufficient levels of digestive enzymes. When this happens our digestion process will be inhibited and we will experience uncomfortable symptoms such as bloating, heartburn, reflux and diarrhoea. Apart from medical issues, the most common cause for insufficient levels of digestive enzymes is not that our bodies are producing lower than normal levels, but our diet is overloaded with foods that need massive amounts of digestive enzymes to break down. So while our pancreas, saliva and stomach work overtime to pump out these little suckers to help digest that massive porterhouse steak, chips and gravy etc., they are spending less time producing enzymes that repair, build and feed our cells. To make it worse, there are specific enzymes for fats, proteins, carbohydrates etc. So when we feed ourselves with highly processed foods with additives and artificial stuff, these enzymes won’t match up properly as they won’t be recognised as food.

Digestive Enzyme Supplements

Supplements exist either via over the counter, non prescription or pharmaceutical via prescription. For those who suffer from a medical condition which limits the production of digestive enzymes, you will need to consult your general practitioner who will prescribe the pharmaceutical form of digestive enzymes. The most common over the counter supplements will have plant based derived enzymes from sources such as pineapple and papaya which contain high concentrations. Since these type are not classed as pharmaceutical, a buyer beware approach is needed. Careful research on the brands, companies and customer testimonials is recommended as they are not regulated.

Ingesting supplemental digestive enzymes will surely decrease the load on your bodies ability to manufacture a constant stream of digestive enzymes and free up the process to create metabolic enzymes for all the other vital cellular functions in your body.

Due to this you may feel more energetic over time, notice long time ailments receding and overall just general well being. Anything that takes a load off digestion without compromising the nutrients is surely beneficial for us. If we can give a hand in assigning enzymes for metabolic functions we therefore increase conversion of energy for cellular functions, increased healthy cell reproduction and swifter waste elimination. Increased metabolism equals more energy and better health.