Digesting the Facts About Digestive Enzymes

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

By Karen Brothers, ND student, NCNM

Do you remember learning about enzymes in school? Your textbooks stated that they are proteins in our bodies’ cells that can cause or catalyze (accelerate) biochemical reactions by lowering the activation energy required for the reaction to occur. Your teacher likely emphasized that they act on substrates to create products, but they are not used up or altered by the reaction. And you probably answered a test question or two demonstrating your knowledge of their sensitivity to temperature, chemical environment, and concentration of substrate. Sound familiar?

All of our bodies’ cells make the enzymes we need to perform the basic metabolic functions of producing energy, removing wastes, and repairing cell structures. However, for these functions to occur, we need to unlock the nutrients in our food through digestion. Specialized enzymes, called digestive enzymes, break down our food into its nutrient components that our bodies can absorb.

Digestive enzymes are produced throughout our gastrointestinal system, from the mouth (in saliva) to the stomach, pancreas, and intestines. We also ingest digestive enzymes in the food that we eat, particularly in raw foods. No matter the source, digestive enzymes are classified based on their substrates, i.e., the macromolecules on which they act: Proteases and peptidases break down proteins into amino acids. Lipases split fat molecules into fatty acids and glycerol. Carbohydrases, such as amylase and lactase, break down starches and sugars into simple sugars.

Supplementation of digestive enzymes is big business, as these enzymes have several therapeutic uses. For cases of indigestion, they can augment the digestive enzymes that we eat and that our digestive system makes. They also can serve as replacement therapy in conditions such as pancreatitis, gastric bypass surgery, or other gastrointestinal surgeries in which the functional capacity of the organs and tissues that secrete the enzymes is diminished or disrupted. A third use is to calm inflammation caused by chronic disease, surgeries, or injuries; to be effective in this regard, the enzymes should be taken away from food.

Before you run out to purchase digestive enzymes, be sure to determine your health needs. Which enzymes do you need? How often do you need them? Occasional or temporary use for indigestion or inflammation may be fine, but consult your physician if you find that you need them regularly or if you’ve recently experienced a major gastrointestinal illness or surgery that may affect your body’s ability to produce them.

posted by Innate Response at

12:14 PM

Digesting the Facts About Digestive Enzymes

By Karen Brothers, ND student, NCNM

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