I. Vital to Health and life itself. They are catalysts for the body’s functions
A. Necessary for every chemical reaction in the body
B. Necessary for the normal activity of the cells, tissues, fluids, and organs
C. Enzymes digest the food you eat
D. Enzymes are essential for the production of energy required to run the body
1. Vitamins, minerals and hormones can do NOTHING without enzymes
II. There are 3 main categories of enzymes
A. Metabolic Enzymes are made by the human body
1. responsible for running the body’s chemistry
2. involved in all body processes including: breathing, thinking, talking, moving and immunity
a. Anti-oxident enzymes help to quench free radicals. (free radicals are unhealthy compounds which form in the body and if left unchecked, contribute to the development of disease
B. Pancreatic Enzymes- These enzymes play a vital role in digestion. (The pancreas is a complex organ, responsible for many functions such as: secreting insulin into the blood and producing and secreting alkaline fluid or sodium bicarbonate into the upper portion of the small intestine. This alkalizes the acidic contents that arrive in the small intestine from the stomach.)
1. Mainly secreted by the pancreas, but also secreted in the mouth, small intestine and stomach.
2. There are approximately 22 different enzymes in this category and the main purpose is to aid in digestion.
a. amylase, lipase, and proteolytic enzymes (protease is a proteolytic which breaks down proteins)
C. Plant (Food) Enzymes These are essential to the proper digestion of food, give nutritional support and acute chronic support
1. they are present in raw plants (now available as supplements)
a. plant enzymes are destroyed by heat, pesticides, air, pasteurization, canning, micro-waving, and irradiating
b. improper PH ranges deactivate the enzyme but do not destroy it
2. For digestion of food
a) they begin to work in the mouth to pre-digest foods
b) they also work in the small intestine aiding pancreatic enzymes
c) they increase the supply of the deficient enzyme during the predigestive process.
d) Main food enzymes which initiate the process of digestion are:
1) protease for protein digestion
2) lipase for fat digestion
3) amylase for carbohydrate digestion
4) disaccharidases for the digestion of disaccharides (sucrose, lactose, and maltose)
5) cellulase for digestion of the soluble parts of fiber into smaller units
a) cellulose is not made by the human body, it is important to chew all raw foods well in order to release the cellulose enzyme
e. The pancreas will not become lazy due to a diet rich in raw foods and plant enzyme supplements because pancreatic enzymes don’t operate in the stomach.
1) the reverse is true- they spare the pancreas from having to compensate for inadequate pre-digestion
3. Nutritional Support food enzymes ensure digestion of a needed nutrient
a. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies may be treated by combining small amounts of foods, high in the desired nutrients, with the plant enzymes required to digest them. (This guarantees the assimilation of the nutrient)
4. Acute or Chronic Support
a. taken as a supplement on an empty stomach, plant enzymes enter the bloodstream and assist the immune system by disposing of toxins.
1) toxins are any substance which does not belong in the blood
2) plant enzymes “eat” the protein coating on certain viruses
a) this enables the immune system workers to then destroy them. This reverses inflammation.
b) Each type of enzyme has a specific anti-inflammatory action and will relieve inflammatory conditions related to a deficiency in that enzyme
3) Plant enzymes digest toxins rather than killing them off (antibiotics do this in the case of bacterial infections)
a) the process involves no side effects if the digested toxins can be properly eliminated through the urinary tract, colon, skin and lungs
III. Summary- Supplemental plant enzymes can thus be used as therapy in three ways, depending on the health condition and need of the individual:
A. To optimize digestion, absorption, and assimilation of food which in turn keeps a healthy pH balance in the blood.
B. To reverse nutritional deficiencies
C. As anti-inflammatories and detoxifying agents
D. A lack of one or more of the primary digestive enzymes causes inability of individuals to digest foods in the category associated with digesting that food. This is diagnosed by saying that the individual is intolerant to that food. (allergic) If the enzyme deficiency is left untreated health problems begin to manifest.
(For instance: An individual deficient in protease are protein intolerant so they may become “vegans” because digesting meats is too difficult. However, their bodies cannot digest any form of protein even vegetable proteins. Their health rapidly declines.)
E. Enzyme therapy can help reverse or alleviate the following conditions:
Acne, allergies, appendicitis, arthritis, asthma, bed-wetting, broken bones, bruises, cancer candidiasis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, disc problems, fibroids, gallbladder disorders, gastritis, gastric ulcer, headaches, herpes, hiatal hernia, hyperactivity/ADD, infant colic, insomnia, intestinal disorders, kidney stones, menopausal symptoms, mental disorders, osteoporosis, parasites, premenstrual syndrome, prostate enlargement, psoriasis, seizures, sprains, tendonitis, weight problems.