Taking Digestive Enzymes – A Preventive Measure for Various Illness

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Taking Digestive Enzymes - A Preventive Measure

for Various Illnesses

There are over 20 digestive enzymes produced by the organs and glands of the human body. Each of these enzymes is responsible for breaking down the various food components in order to harvest amino acids as well as nutrients. These elements are critical to life. Thus, it is important that the body be supplied with these elements sufficiently and on a regular basis.

Each type of digestive enzyme is only able to work on a specific food component and none other. For example, lipase breaks down lipids, amylase breaks down starch, while protease breaks down protein. Of course, since there are many components found in food, there are as much kinds of digestive enzymes.

In the stomach glands alone, various enzymes are already produced including peptidase, which is responsible for breaking down proteins; gelatinase, which is responsible for breaking down collagen from meat; and gastric lipase, which is responsible for breaking down butter fat. The pancreas, on the other hand, produces a number of proteases, amylases, and elastases in order to break down proteins, starches, glycogens, and protein elastins. Then, the epithelium in the small intestines also produces several peptidases, amylases including sucrase, which breaks down sucrose and glucose, lactase, which breaks down lactose, and maltase, which breaks down maltose.

Still, there are instances when the body is unable to produce sufficient enzymes to cope with the food that the body takes in. And that is where food enzymes come in. Raw fruits and vegetables contain essential digestive enzymes such as cellulase, pectinase, and phytase. Although these enzymes are not exactly retained in the body, yet they help the enzymes in the body in digesting the components of the food being ingested upon their introduction. And in doing so, the body's need to produce a great number of digestive enzymes is decreased, thus allowing the body to give more of its energy on the activity of metabolic enzymes.

However, food enzymes are prone to be destroyed by food processing and cooking. Enzymes have low tolerance to heat. Suffice it to say, fried and overcooked foods contain very little enzymes, or none at all. Thus, a diet consisted of foods devoid of enzymes actually result to a number of digestive ailments such as gas, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation. Moreover, the same condition is likely the cause of weight related problems such as obesity.

Simply put, poor digestion is a result of the body's inability to produce sufficient enzymes and the lack of digestive enzymes in the foods partaken. Therefore, by taking supplemental digestive enzymes, enzyme deficiency can be avoided as well as a number of illnesses relating to indigestion and malnutrition as well as many other medical conditions.

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