The Role of Enzymes in Digestion
Metabolic enzymes in every cell, tissue and organ of the body use the nutritional building blocks derived from digestion to repair damage and decay; to fight and overcome disease; to heal wounds and maintain overall health and well being. Digestive enzymes do the all important work of breaking down food into the nutritional component parts required to build and maintain health.
Foods are for the most part composed of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates (starches and sugars). These foods are digested in stages being broken down along the way by the approximately twenty two different digestive enzymes made by the body. Protease (proteolytic enzymes) break down proteins into peptones and amino acids. Lipases (lipolytic) break down fats to fatty acids and glycerol. Amylases (amlolytic) break down starches to double sugars, maltose and isomaltose (disaccharides). Disaccharases break down the double sugars, sucrose, lactose, maltose and isomaltose, to the simple sugars (monosaccharides), galactose, glucose and fructose (levulose).
Cellulase digests the plant fiber cellulose into glucose. Cellulase is not an endogenous digestive enzyme, because our bodies do not produce it. Cellulase is a food enzyme. It is important for health and we must get it from outside sources of raw plants on a daily basis. We must chew foods that contain cellulase well in order to release it.
The two most potent digestive enzymes are amylase and protease. Saliva supplies an ample supply of amylase, while gastric juice contains a high concentration of protease. The pancreas secretes digestive juice that contains both amylase and protease in high concentration along with lipase and maltase. Lipase and maltase are present in a weaker concentration than amylase and protease in pancreatic juice.
The final stage of carbohydrate digestion is accomplished by the enzymes produced by the cells lining the small intestine: maltase, sucrase and lactase. These enzymes are responsible for splitting double sugars into simple single sugars that can readily be absorbed through the walls of the intestine and assimilated into the bloodstream.
Nature's Chemists
As we now know, enzymes are involved in every metabolic process. All cellular activity is initiated by enzymes, they are responsible for digesting the food we ingest as well as for breaking down foreign and toxic substances. Enzymes are constantly being used up and excreted through sweat and urine. We already know we must replace vitamins and minerals, but we must now learn do the same with enzymes. If we don't replace depleted and lost enzymes through proper diet and supplementation the body will replace enzymes from within itself, borrowing from metabolic processes causing chronic fatigue, cellular and organ exhaustion, disease and eventually death.
One can live for many years on an enzyme deficit diet but eventually a diet of void of enzymes can cause cellular enzyme exhaustion. When the signs of an enzyme deficiency are evident the body is most likely already in a state of exhaustion. It is important that the body's enzyme reservoir be preserved and replenished in order to ensure proper digestion, immune system and metabolic function throughout the body. This is best done through the inclusion of sufficient quantities of predigested foods, fresh, organic, whole, raw food and enzyme supplements in the daily diet.
Enzymes truly are the alchemists of life. Conducting millions of biochemical transactions daily. Converting food into nutritional building blocks. Transforming those same nutritional building blocks into bone, muscle, nerve, heart, lung, brain, blood, movement, breath, and thought. And all of that, all of each of us, all of life, is made possible by the presence of enzymes and the tremendous amount of work they do.
