Enzymes: Often Overlooked, but Critically Important
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One might argue that one of the most amazing feats of human engineering is the automobile. Consider everything that goes into making one… from the advanced assembly lines to the precise robotics, to the human ingenuity behind it all. Those human beings were able to come up with a way to harness energy from the earth and basically infuse it into a boxy metallic structure on wheels that can take us wherever we desire is nothing short of awe-inspiring when you really stop and think about it.
As incredible as they are, though, cars would be entirely worthless if not for the human brainpower behind their build and daily operation. What makes a car a useful machine, in other words, are the regular refuelings, oil changes, tire rotations, and maintenance that keep it running smoothly – all 
things that are entirely impossible without human involvement, willingness, and know-how into what it takes to keep a car going.
Where we’re going with all of this is that the human body functions similarly to a car in that it’s a finely-tuned creation that requires its own special inputs for proper function and maintenance.
Our bodies are obviously much more impressive “machines,” in that they’re uniquely equipped to perform self-maintenance and self-regenerate without the need for a driver. At the same time, they still require outside help – primarily in the form of proper nutrition − in order to thrive.
Why Your Body Needs Enzymes
But what is proper nutrition, and more importantly, how is your body able to benefit from it? Every time you eat, your body produces saliva, bile, and other digestive catalysts that break down the foods and converts them into smaller molecules.
These molecules are used to build muscle tissue, regenerate cells, strengthen immunity, and produce energy. Proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals all get broken down during this process in order to fuel your body.
Going back to our car analogy… if our physical bodies are like the raw materials from which a car is made, and the food is our fuel, then digestive catalysts are the drivers that make sure our bodies are operating as they should and are properly maintained at all times.
Among the most important of these catalysts are enzymes, the biochemical catalysts found in food and inside our bodies that facilitate the necessary chemical reactions needed to keep the whole process going as normal.
“Enzymes are substances that make life possible,” says Dr. Edward Howell, MD, pioneer of Enzyme Therapy and author of Enzyme Nutrition: The Food Enzyme Concept.
“They are needed for every chemical reaction that takes place in the human body. No mineral, vitamin, or hormone can do any work without enzymes. They are the manual workers that build our body from proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, just as construction workers build our homes. You may have all the raw materials with which to build, but without the workers (enzymes) you cannot even begin.”
Symptoms of Enzyme Deficiency
Enzymes are obviously very important for life, so where you one find them? Raw foods naturally contain enzymes, which act as digestive co-factors every time you eat. Your body also makes some of its own enzymes, though it primarily relies on enzymes in food to digest and assimilate nutrients.
When these enzymes are lacking as a result of cooking, pasteurization, or some other form of processing, then the body has to work overtime to make up for it.
This is a taxing process that, over time, can leave the body enzyme-deficient. Some of the more common symptoms of enzyme deficiency include:
- indigestion
- acid reflux
- bloating after eating a meal
If you feel like food is just taking its sweet time moving through your system, or if you feel constipated or experience irregular bowel movements on a regular basis, you could be lacking in enzymes, and thus your body is incapable of fully digesting your food in a timely manner.
Other signs of an enzyme deficiency can include:
- lack of energy
- brain “fog”
- muscle degradation
- weakness
- joint pain
- difficulty sleeping due to an upset stomach
When your body isn’t able to extract the nutrients it needs from food, then it can’t provide you with energy or vitality, nor can it effectively engage in any of the reparation processes by which your body stays healthy and in tip-top shape.
Which Enzymes Do You Need?
So what types of enzymes does your body need, and where can you find them? Let’s start with the basics:
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Metabolic Enzymes
Metabolic enzymes are necessary for the proper function of every system of the body – including every tissue, cell, and organ. Metabolic enzymes facilitate both the production of energy and detoxification within the body’s 100 trillion-plus cells, and they’re manufactured by the body for this purpose.
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Digestive Enzymes
Digestive enzymes are secreted within the digestive tract to help break down food and extract nutrients. Examples of digestive enzymes include pepsin, trypsin, lipase, protease, and amylase. The body is capable of producing some of these itself, but it also relies upon the natural enzymes found in raw foods to help with the process.
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Food Enzymes
Food enzymes occur naturally in food and pair perfectly with the digestive enzymes manufactured by the body. Raw foods contain only enough food enzymes for that particular food, however, which is why supplemental food enzymes are often recommended. Supplemental enzymes also offer systemic support to help clean up the blood, neutralize and eliminate toxins, and repair cell tissue.
In a perfect world, we would get all the food enzymes we need from food, and our bodies would take care of the rest. But in our imperfect world, food is often lacking in enzymes due to processing, pasteurization, and everyday cooking.
When our food is deficient in enzymes, our bodies have to make up for it. After a while, however, our bodies become depleted of enzymes, and that’s when health problems start.
Aside from eating more raw food, the best remedy for enzyme deficiency is to take enzyme supplements.
The best digestive enzyme supplements include enzymes such as:
- Amylase – breaks down carbohydrates, sugars, and starches in grains, rice, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, beans, and herbs
- Alpha Galactosidase – breaks down simple sugars (polysaccharides) and complex sugars (oligosaccharides) in legumes and cruciferous vegetables
- Beta-glucanase – breaks down cellulose (plant fiber) in grains and cereals
- Bromelain – breaks down proteins, and also provides proteolytic (systemic) support for the body
- Catalase – breaks down hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen
- Cellulase – breaks down food fiber (cellulose) in fruits and vegetables
- Glucoamylase – breaks down long-chain carbohydrates and starches in grains and potatoes
- Hemicellulase – breaks down hemicellulose, a type of cellulose in plant walls, as well as non-cellulose polysaccharides
- Invertase – breaks down sucrose and simple sugars
- Lactase – breaks down lactose, a simple sugar found in milk and dairy products
- Lipase – breaks down fats in butter, cheese, meat, and oils
- Papain – breaks down proteins
- Pectinase – breaks down pectin, a polysaccharide found in fruits and vegetables
- Peptidase – breaks down proteins into amino acids
- Phytase – breaks down carbohydrates, as well as “anti-nutrients” like phytic acid in plants, grains, and seeds
- Protease – breaks down proteins in meat, fish, poultry, grains, nuts, gluten, and milk (casein)
- Xylanase – breaks down nutrients in high-fiber vegetables
Every single one of these food enzymes is essential for life, and chances are you’re not getting enough of them as part of your daily diet. In fact, unless you’re eating a high-quality 100 percent raw food diet all the time, you’re probably not getting enough food enzymes, which is why supplementation can be beneficial.
Not only will supplemental enzymes help you get more nutrition from the foods you eat, but your body will also get the support it needs systemically to grow healthier, stronger, and more robust.
Organixx Enzyme 17 contains a whopping FIVE kinds of powerful protease enzymes in combination with one of the most advanced enzyme blends on the planet. It’s scientifically designed to help your body break down and process nutrients for better absorption, digestion, and overall health.
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Article Summary
Your body requires outside help – primarily in the form of proper nutrition − in order to thrive.
Every time you eat, your body produces saliva, bile, and other digestive catalysts that break down the foods and converts them into smaller molecules to build muscle tissue, regenerate cells, strengthen immunity, and produce energy.
Enzymes are the biochemical catalysts found in food and inside our bodies that facilitate the necessary chemical reactions needed to keep the whole process going.
Raw foods naturally contain enzymes, which act as digestive co-factors every time you eat.
When these enzymes are lacking as a result of cooking, pasteurization, or other processing, then the body has to work overtime to make up for it.
Some of the more common symptoms of enzyme deficiency include:
- indigestion
- acid reflux
- bloating after eating a meal
These are the three basic enzymes your body needs to survive:
- Metabolic
- Food
- Digestive
Aside from eating more raw food, the best remedy for enzyme deficiency is to take high-quality supplemental enzymes such as Organixx P3E Advanced Enzyme Formula.
Can you get tested for SIBO or H-Pylori?
Hi Marci,
Thanks for your question. I am happy to provide you with a link to Ask the Doc. https://organixx.com/dr-m-bio/#dr-m-ask
We have provided you special access to submit any health questions you may have to Dr. Melissa Gallagher.
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So you're saying that the enzyme product you have listed in the above article could solve problems like not being nourished by the foods you eat? I have been watching my body waste away to nothing over the past 4 years. I've been to 5 digestive specialist over the years and I've yet to be diagnosed with anything or received any help. For 3 years I stayed so nauseated every day all day long I said it was like the worst case of seasickness and I was miserable it controlled my life which was a poor existence. The only thing I could eat was yogurt. If I ate food it felt like it would lay on my stomach and rot and my stomach would swell up like I was 8 months pregnant and it hurt. I lost down to 94 pounds at 5'7". I don't have any energy, strength and have lost my muscle mass. I'm skin and bones sticking out everywhere and that hurts too. This is like the 3rd or 4th time I have had a dramatic weight loss since 2013. Before this time I had been taking pole fitness classes for 2 years, belly dancing classes and going to Planet Fitness several times a week. Now I don't have enough energy to do anything and I'm angry about that too.
Hello Cathy, We are so sorry to hear about the health challenges you have been facing. I know this can be a frustrating time. Sending a prayer your way. Simply put, enzymes make it easier for the body to perform jobs that would otherwise take far too long without them. They provision alternate pathways for chemical reactions to occur that require far less energy. Some of the symptoms you pointed out do fall in line with an enzyme deficiency. Have you ever taken enzymes before? If not it would be a great idea to speak with you doctor or digestive specialist to determine if enzyme supplementation is right for you. Wishing you the very best in your continued health journey. Be blessed. :)
Oddly and ironically, the few times I've taken digestive enzymes (just before a meal as per pill bottle instructions), I get the worst stomach ache/cramps 15-20 minutes later, which last several hours. I've tried two different brands. Same result. (I buy brands devoid of strange chemicals and fillers.) Have any of you experienced or heard of this?
Can you get tested for SIBO or H-Pylori?
Hi Marci,
Thanks for your question. I am happy to provide you with a link to Ask the Doc. https://organixx.com/dr-m-bio/#dr-m-ask
We have provided you special access to submit any health questions you may have to Dr. Melissa Gallagher.
Please know, that due to the number of entries we receive, we cannot guarantee your specific question will be selected to be answered.
However, we will be providing frequent video responses from Dr. Melissa to respond to the many inquiries and topics that are important to so many of us.
So please be on the lookout for emails that will announce when we release a new video from Dr. Melissa.
Thanks so much for being here with us. Hope you have yourself a wonderful day!
Same here with abdominal pain for an hour or more.
Thank you for sharing your personal experience with us, Tasja. We are sorry to hear that you have experienced side effects from the digestive enzymes supplements you have used.
We highly recommend a consultation with a trusted health professional in order to determine if using the said supplements is beneficial for your and your health needs.
May we ask if you have tried the OrganiZymes from Organixx? If you are interested to refer it to your specialist, kindly visit this page for more information: https://organixx.com/organizymes/.
Thank you for being here with us. Have a lovely day!
I have read about the long history of successful use of Enzymes 30 min. before meals to break down Fibrin in the body that causes stiffness in joints.
I also want to know if taken this far before meals,
would you have to take more again
after or during a meal to help digestion?
Hi Eric, thank you for your question and interest.
If you haven't checked out our Organixx OrganiZymes yet, we'd love to give you some information on it.
We carry an enzyme supplement in our product line called OrganiZymes. It has both a Protease Blend and a Broad Spectrum Enzyme Blend. These two work together to improve digestion and reduce the enzyme load on your pancreas.
Proteases are proteolytic enzymes that break down proteins in the body. If enzymes are taken with food, they will break down the proteins in the food. In this case, they would be considered digestive enzymes.
If proteolytic enzymes are taken on an empty stomach, they will bypass the stomach and enter the bloodstream where they will begin to break down excess fibrin in your bloodstream and in other connective tissues like your muscles. In this case, they are now acting as systemic proteolytic enzymes.
Your body uses fibrin to help heal itself from injuries. But problems arise as you age when excess fibrin builds up in your body as it's linked to poor blood flow, increased blood pressure, chronic fatigue, slow healing, inflammation pain, and increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Systemic proteolytic enzymes, like the ones in OrganiZymes, breaks down that excess fibrin in your body, by improving blood flow, speeding up healing, and eliminating pain and inflammation. Many people are amazed when proteolytic enzymes eliminate chronic aches and pains they’ve suffered with for years.
Our Organixx OrganiZymes is designed to improve digestion and reduce the enzyme load on the pancreas. It provides 17 digestive enzymes in a base of sprouted and fermented superfoods, along with humic and fulvic acid for faster and more complete absorption of vitamins and minerals.
If you would like more information on our Organixx OrganiZymes, we encourage you to check out the following links:
https://shop.organixx.com/collections/digestive-gut-health/products/organizymes
https://organixx.com/organizymes/
Hope this helps! Wishing you all the best on your wellness journey!
Thank you for the great information. I look forward to your emails and, even at 73 - I'm always learning something from you.
Thanks again!
Francine
You're most welcome, Francine. Thank you so much for the positive feedback. It's much appreciated.
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