Digestive enzyme supplementation will improve your body’s digestion of the food you eat. You may think that your body is adequately handling this function but that is probably not the case. Research shows most people do not digest their food properly and therefore are not receiving important nutrients needed to build and maintain a strong, healthy body.

When insufficient digestion takes place in the early stages of the process, the food does not pass into the intestines fast enough, and triggers the production of excess stomach acid. In addition, undigested food eventually ends up in the colon where bacteria produce gas and elimination problems. Those who don’t digest their food properly frequently experience: bloating, indigestion, reflux, gas, nausea or constipation/diarrhea.
Digestive enzyme supplementation will:

(1) Decrease bloating, belching, gas, indigestion/heartburn and fatigue following meals.

(2) Release more of the food’s nutrients for the body to use in promoting and maintaining overall health.

(3) Reduce the body’s energy needs for digestion, helping to increase overall energy levels.

(4) Combat food allergies and reduces food cravings.

Without the enzymes in food, which is common in our modern diets of cooked and processed meals, the body has to produce all of the enzymes needed to properly digest food…most of the time it can’t. So, we have poor digestion and all of the related health problems.

Vegetarian enzyme supplements help your body’s own enzymes digest the food you eat completely by providing the same type of digestive activity as raw food enzymes, relieving some of the body’s digestive burden.

Today’s typical diet of cooked, canned and convenience foods makes it especially important to take vegetarian enzyme supplements to take some of the stress off not only the digestive organs but also the immune system. Everyone should take an enzyme supplement with each meal to maintain optimum health.

The products of digestion are the body’s source of nutrition, energy and well-being. Nature did not intend for the human body to produce all of the enzymes required for proper digestion. Unfortunately, a typical diet may leave the body no choice. The amount of digestive enzymes secreted by the body is in direct proportion to the amount of food it has to digest.

If vegetarian enzyme supplements are taken with food, optimum digestion can occur with fewer digestive enzymes being produced by the body. Reducing the demand on the body to produce digestive enzymes should mean more energy is available for metabolic functions.

Enzyme supplements work in harmony with body to digest food properly, improve nutrition, maintain high energy levels and help with many of other health concerns related to poor digestion
By taking vegetarian enzyme supplements with each meal, you will lessen the work of your digestive system and you’ll have more energy to maintain optimal health.

Education is an important part of the mission of Enzymes, Inc. In this section of the blog, we have provided a bit of basic information concerning different digestive enzymes and the different digestive functions of each. We hope this helps in your enzyme education pursuit!

Proteases digest proteins that are typically found in meat, fish, eggs, dairy products (cheese) and legumes (beans). Protein is a long chain of amino acids that needs to be broken down into smaller and smaller chains until the free amino acids, which is what your body wants, are finally released.

Supplements containing four different proteases –acid protease, alkaline protease, neutral protease and peptidase – break the protein down to free amino acids faster and more completely. Most enzyme supplements only have one protease to digest protein, meaning your body is given very little help so the process is seldom completed. Incomplete protein digestion results in bloating and indigestion within an hour of eating high protein food. Undigested protein is also one of the most common causes of food allergies and constipation.

A blend of acid, alkaline and neutral proteases – like those found in many products from Enzymes, Inc. – ensures digestion of proteins continues throughout the varying conditions of the GI tract, from the upper stomach through the small intestine. Proteins are large molecules that require another protease, peptidase, to help break them down into even smaller, more usable proteins and amino acids.

There are several enzymes that break down the carbohydrates in food into glucose, the body’s main source of energy. Three enzymes break down the sugar carbohydrates into glucose: lactase, invertase, and alpha-galactosidase. Lactase digests lactose, which is found in most dairy products. Invertase (Sucrase) works on sucrose (table sugar), which is found in baked goods, ice cream, candy, soda and many convenience foods. alpha-galactosidase specifically breaks down the sugar that is found in beans and other vegetables, like cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts and cabbage. Improper digestion of these vegetables can result in bloating and gas.

Three other enzymes digest the starch carbohydrates found predominantly in foods like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes: amylase, malt distase, and glucoamylase. Amylase and malt diastase break down the large, complex starch molecules into smaller pieces; then glucoamylase continues their digestion into glucose. If your body doesn’t get enough glucose from your food, you will crave foods high in carbohydrates, especially sugar and starch, leading to overeating and weight gain. Incomplete carbohydrate digestion often produces bloating and gas a few hours after eating.

[Please note: maltase, the enzyme that digests malt sugar, is not commercially available. malt diastase is often erroneously labeled maltase although they have completely different functions.]

Lipase digests fats, which are found in oils, butter, salad dressings, dairy products (cheese, cream, whole milk), nuts, olives, avocados and meats. Fats are less complicated than proteins so only one type of lipase is needed for their proper digestion to free fatty acids. Although it may look good in the marketing literature, there is no digestive benefit to using a blend of lipases from different strains when one lipase from one strain can do the job. Although fats are surprisingly easy to digest, you need enough lipase to complete the process. If you don’t digest the fat in your food properly, you can become deficient in fatty acids. Since your body needs a certain amount of fatty acids to stay healthy, you will crave fatty foods in an effort to get them from your diet – a huge reason why people overeat and become overweight.

There are six enzymes needed to break down the indigestible, fibrous portion of fruits, vegetables and grains into smaller fibers and to release essential minerals and other nutrients bound in the fiber. Cellulase acts on the cellulose found in all foods of plant origin, xylanase digests the xylan found predominantly in grains, and pectinase breaks down the pectin present in large amounts in most fruits. CereCalase Plus, a proprietary blend of phytase, hemicellulase and beta-glucanase, specifically work on non-starch polysaccharides, the anti-nutritive factor in fiber. Our bodies don’t produce enzymes to digest fiber at all so whatever digestion takes place must be done by food enzymes or supplemental enzymes.