Enzymes, Inc. is proud to offer the WellZymes line of digestive enzyme supplements, specifically developed to promote gastrointestinal health, to the health conscious consumer.

These highly effective supplements were formulated by doctors with decades of experience using enzyme supplementation in their practices. All WellZymes supplements provide high-potency, broad-spectrum, vegetarian enzymes to assist in the complete digestion of all food groups. WellZymes Digestive Health is an excellent digestive enzyme supplement for general health maintenance.

The line also provides enzyme supplements specifically targeting protein/fat and carbohydrate digestion - plus great-tasting chewable enzyme tablets for children, seniors or anyone who has trouble swallowing capsules. WellZymes Gastric Ease partners digestive enzymes with specific herbal extracts to soothe and help repair any damage to the gastrointestinal lining.

In addition to the appropriate enzyme supplement, we strongly recommend daily supplementation with a good probiotic product to help counter the gas producing, constipating effects of undigested food in the colon. WellZymes Colon Health provides a blend of over 3 billion viable, colonizing probiotic organisms from non-dairy sources that research has shown restore and maintain a healthy colon. Dr. Cutler was so impressed with the WellZymes product line she recommends the formulations in her new book, MicroMiracles – Discover the Healing Power of Enzymes.

Enzymes, Inc. will be extending the WellZymes product line this year to include several new systemic products - each formulated to help support the primary organ systems, other than the gastrointestinal tract, that are adversely affected by prolonged food sensitivities or intolerances.

These products will feature pHysioProtease, a proprietary blend of protease enzymes developed specifically to be most active in the body tissues rather than the digestive tract. Published medical studies have proven that pHysioProtease is highly effective at reducing inflammation. These new WellZymes formulations will contain a combination of pHysioProtease with high-quality, standardized herbal extracts targeted to help relieve the inflammation and other imbalances in organ systems primarily caused by the body’s response to undigested food in the bloodstream.

For more information on WellZymes, visit www.wellzymes.com and call 800.637.7893.

We’re getting ready to attend the American Academy of Environmental Medicine event this weekend (4.28-4.30) at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Kansas City, Mo.

Lynn will be attending, as will Dan Kaur Weamer, the newest member of the Enzymes, Inc. Technical Services Department. Dan Kaur will also be attending many of the instructional classes.

Be sure to stop by booth #123 for samples and information concerning our three lines of professional products - NESS, BioSET, and Advanced Formula - each available exclusively through health care professionals.

All of our enzymes are from broad-spectrum vegetarian sources, and have a long history of clinical use. Visit www.enzymesinc.com and call 800.637.7893 for more information.

Enzymes, Inc. - Experience, Education, Ethics

Many of the digestive and systemic products on the market today contain enzymes derived from animal sources, such as the pancreatic tissue of pigs. However, microbial or vegetarian enzymes have several distinct advantages when compared to animal enzymes.

Vegetarian enzyme supplements can provide greater digestive or systemic activity per capsule or tablet than animal enzyme supplements. Vegetarian enzymes can be concentrated more than animal enzymes, so more activity can be included in each capsule or tablet. This means vegetarian enzymes require fewer capsules or tablets than animal enzymes to provide equivalent digestive or systemic action, which results in better patient compliance. This is particularly significant for systemic use of proteolytic enzymes where large numbers of pancreatin-based tablets are often recommended.¹

Vegetarian enzymes function throughout the entire digestive tract. Pepsin only functions in the high acidity of the lower stomach and pancreatin, trypsin and chymotrypsin can only digest food in the alkaline pH of the intestines.

Vegetarian enzymes can help relieve the body of some of its digestive burden, whereas, most animal enzymes work too late in the digestive process. The most commonly used animal enzymes – pancreatin, trypsin and chymotrypsin – don’t begin working until the alkaline environment of the small intestine, after the body has already been required to produce excess acid and pancreatic enzymes to complete digestion.² Vegetarian enzymes, on the other hand, are active over a broad pH range, from acidic to alkaline, so they are able to begin digesting food almost immediately after it enters the stomach.³

Since the body makes acid and enzymes in response to the food composition and state of digestion, the pre-digestion of the food in the first 45 minutes to 1 hour after ingestion will signal the body to produce less acid and fewer digestive enzymes. This means less energy and materials will be expended by the body on the digestive process. This extra energy is then used by the body for maintenance and repair.² In addition, vegetarian enzymes continue to assist in digestion through most of the digestive tract.³ Taking a vegetarian enzyme supplement at the beginning of each meal can dramatically reduce the enzyme-producing load on the digestive organs.

In other words, better digestion equals greater nutrient availability, while less digestive enzyme demand equals lower stress and over all better quality of life.

Vegetarian enzymes are stable in the upper stomach and some of the proteases are even active in the acidic pH of the lower stomach. The most commonly used animal enzymes (pancreatin, trypsin and chymotrypsin) may be destroyed in the acid conditions of the stomach before ever reaching the small intestine. For this reason, many products containing animal enzymes enteric-coat either the enzymes themselves or the entire tablet. This process makes the the product resistant to stomach acids with the intention that the coating will dissolve off in the alkaline pH of the small intestines.¹ However, some people, particularly those producing too much stomach acid or taking HCL supplements, may never reach the alkaline pH required to release the enzymes from the enteric coating or reach it (too late to have any real benefit) after the food is well past the optimum absorption sites in the small intestine. Of equal concern, the primary ingredients in most, if not all, of these enteric-coatings are synthetic polymers similar to those used in the plastics industry.⁴

Vegetarian enzyme supplements usually provide a broader spectrum of digestive enzymes that act on all of the main food components (protein, carbohydrates, fat and fiber)³, whereas, animal enzymes focus predominantly on digesting proteins with minimal carbohydrate and fat-digestion provided by pancreatin and none provided by pepsin, rypsin and chymotrypsin. Please note: The carbohydrate-digesting activity is limited to starch breakdown since animal enzymes provide no fiber or sugar-digesting activity.⁵

Vegetarian enzymes are cultivated in a controlled environment, free of contaminants including pesticides. Animal enzymes are commercially obtained from slaughterhouse animals, usually pigs, which have received steroids, antibiotics, etc. and have been fed pesticide-containing, genetically-altered feed.

When choosing a digestive enzyme supplement, guarantee efficacy by choosing vegetarian over animal enzymes.

References:
1. Griffin, SM. et al. Acid resistant lipase as replacement therapy in chronic pancreatic exocrine insufficiency: a study in dogs. Gut 1989;30:1012-15.
2. Howell, E. Enzyme Nutrition, The Food Enzyme Concept. 1985. Avery Publishing Group, New Jersey.
3. Rachman, B. Unique Features and application of non-animal derives enzymes. Clinical Nutrition Insights, vol.5 no.10, 1997.
4. Preparation of enteric coated digestive enzyme compositions. Patent number: 4079125, March 14, 1978.
5. Guyton AC and Hall JE Textbook of Medical Physiology, 9th ed.,1996, pg.824- 826. W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, PA.

An article appeared on Forbes.com yesterday concerning the data from new cox-2 inhibitor research. A Journal of Clinical Investigation study focused research on two Cyclooxegenase-2 (cox-2) derived compounds, referred to as PGI2 and PGE2. The production of these two compounds is “inhibited” when a cox-2 specific medication - like Vioxx, Celebrex, or Bextra - is taken for pain and inflammation.

Apparently PGI2 and PGE2 are: “thought to help maintain cardiovascular health by preventing platelets in blood vessels from clumping together.” Hence the heightened risk of heart attack when taking a cox-2 medication. The researchers studied PGI2 and PGE2 in an attempt to determine which of the two compounds was paramount in this increased risk.

Through the study of genetically engineered mice, the researchers determined the “depression of cox-2-dependent PGI2″ was the “biochemical culprit.” In the PGE2 portion of the research, the focus was directed on the enzyme microsomal PGE synthase-1 (mPGES-1), which “works as a partner with cox-2 in the biosynthesis of PGE2.” It was determined “that inhibiting mPGES-1 suppressed PGE2 (just as cox-2 medications do) while increasing PGI2 to heart-healthy levels had no measurable effect on either blood pressure or clotting in the treated mice.”

So, get ready folks. There is another medication soon to be rushed through all the appropriate channels…bye bye cox-2 inhibitor, hello mPGES-1 inhibitor. A new wave of promotional pens, golf tees, and other big-pharma chattel will be popping up in no time (and we wonder why medication is so expensive…).

In the article, an expert on cox-2 medication stated: “the safety and efficacy of ‘mPGES-1 inhibitor’ drugs is in its infancy, and it will be many years before consumers see these medications available in pharmacies — if ever.” It will be interesting to see how quickly big-pharma runs this race.

Of course, a naproxen / proton pump cocktail is recommended in the meantime to relieve pain and inflammation with diminished GI risk - the former duty of the cox-2 inhibitors.

Interestingly enough, a University of Texas SW Medical Center study published in The Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery found InflammEnz, a high-potency proteolytic enzyme based supplement, was incredibly effective in relieving inflammation. The study reported InflammEnz relieved inflammation, and actually accelerated healing time by two to three days - this happened in 77% of the subjects studied.

Why don’t the experts recommend InflammEnz as a cox-2 alternative for inflammation?

Not enough pens and golf tees, I guess…

In conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the FCA, we were asked to provide them with milestones for Enzymes, Inc. We thought we’d share them with you here…

Enzymes, Inc. 75 Year Milestones

1932 - Dr. Edward Howell introduces Genuine N●Zimes, the first vegetarian enzyme supplements, now distributed by Enzymes, Inc.

1985 - Dr. Howell’s company forms Enzymes, Inc. to develop NESS™ the first professional line of vegetarian enzyme supplements.

1985 - Enzymes, Inc. attends the FCA National Convention for the first time, introducing NESS vegetarian enzyme supplements.

1998 - Enzymes, Inc. introduces Advanced Formula, the highest potency, full-spectrum vegetarian enzyme supplement line available.

1999 - Enzymes, Inc. begins working with Dr. Ellen Cutler developing the BioSET line of vegetarian enzyme supplements.

2004 - UTSW Medical Center in Dallas determines Advanced Formula InflammEnz reduces inflammation and accelerates healing time.