What are enzymes?
Most of us have never heard of them and yet enzymes play a vital role in many life processes. Enzymes are specialized proteins made by all living things. They are responsible for all chemical reactions in the body, doing the work of rearranging molecules and breaking down compounds. Each enzyme has a specific action on a unique material (called a substrate), similar to fitting a key into a lock. Sometimes minerals, pH levels, and temperature influence how an enzyme reacts. Without enzymes, our food (along with its nutrients and vitamins) will not be processed into a form that our body can absorb.
Where are enzymes found?
Enzymes are abundant in RAW fruits and vegetables. Cooking destroys enzymes! Processed and canned foods have no enzymes. When the majority of our food is cooked or processed, our body (specifically the pancreas) must take on the extra work of creating enzymes to break down the food.
What if digestive enzymes are deficient?
A study was done in the 1930s by Dr. Francis Pottinger with 900 cats over a period of ten years. Half of the cats were fed raw milk and raw meat; the other half fed pasteurized milk and cooked meat. The cats fed the raw milk and meat, rich in enzymes, thrived without disease generation after generation. However, the cats fed pasteurized milk and cooked meat, deficient in enzymes, deteriorated with each subsequent generation. Modern, degenerative diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, kidney and thyroid disease, tooth decay, arthritis, reduced bone mass, infertility, and intense irritability, appeared at progressively younger ages in each subsequent generation of cats. By the third generation the cats could not even produce offspring. Do we see any correlation between the Pottinger study and the health of people in today’s society?
What if undigested food particles slip into the bloodstream?
Symptoms of a “leaky-gut” (possibly resulting from enzymes being unavailable to breakdown the food properly) include: aggression, anxiety, nervousness, bladder infections, bed-wetting, bloating or gas, chronic pain in joints or muscles, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, migraines, mood swings, skin rashes, confusion, and memory problems. If these particles continue to leak the consequences become more severe and may include: autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, PDD, asthma, allergies, sensitivities, autoimmune conditions, celiac, Crohn’s disease, chronic fatigue, ADHD, hyperactivity, arthritis, IBS, skin conditions, liver problems, pancreatic insufficiency, and malnutrition. These lists are presented in the book Enzymes for Autism and other Neurological Conditions by Karen DeFelice - highly recommended reading!
How do I take supplemental enzymes?
Enzymes should be taken at the beginning of each meal to improve the breakdown of the foods eaten. A good plant digestive enzyme blend may include: protease (for protein), amylase (for carbs), lactase (for dairy), lipase (for fats), sucrase (for complex sugars), invertase (for table sugar), cellulase (for plant fiber), bromelain (as an anti-inflammatory), and papain (for protein).
Enzyme therapy protocols also suggest that enzymes may be taken between meals, especially protease, to help clean up the blood and numerous problems where undigested particles have caused inflammation.
Enzyme supplements increase the body’s ability to absorb vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from the food we eat. Enzymes also assist in restoring gut intestinal health, thereby avoiding a host of chronic degenerative diseases. Almost everyone could benefit from eating more RAW fruits and vegetables, reducing cooked and processed foods in the diet, and taking a digestive enzyme supplement with each meal.
Enzymes are the key to good health!
Lisa A. Purdy ND, MH, CNHP
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