The digestive system is under pressure to perform very important functions all day, every day. Need a little help? Why not try our regularity / digestive transit, colon cleansing and digestive system support supplements. They are ideally taken as part of a cleansing programme and in conjunction with a balanced diet.
What are digestive enzymes?
Digestion is a vital bodily process, during which food that is consumed is broken down into a simple form that can be utilised by the body. The mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus are the organs that comprise our digestive system. The process starts in the mouth with chewing of food, continues in the stomach and small intestine where the food is chemically broken down by the digestive juices and enzymes and finally gets completed in the large intestine. The gastrointestinal or digestive tract includes these digestive organs that take in food, digest it to absorb vital nutrients and energy and finally expel the remaining waste.
Digestive enzymes are complex proteins that stimulate chemical changes in other substances, are present in the digestive tract and are engaged by the body to break down food into nutrients which are then digested. The human body makes around 22 different digestive enzymes, each of which acts on a different class of food.
They operate most well at a specific temperature and pH. They are secreted by particular glands in the body, including the salivary glands, the stomach and pancreas glands and the glands in the small intestines. These enzymes also have specific sites of action, including the oral cavity, the stomach, the duodenum and the jejunum.
They are found in fruits, vegetables, meat and other foods. Many of these enzymes, produced from plants and animals, are sold as food form supplements and are used to help support the symptoms of a varied selection of digestive system complaints, including irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, bloating and heartburn.
Without digestive enzymes, we could not survive. Our body’s reactions would be too slow for life to be viable, because they are involved in nearly everything that takes place in the body.
How do digestive enzymes work?
The human body makes over 3,000 kinds of enzymes that quicken chemical reactions and conserve energy. Digestive enzymes, which are only a few of the thousands of known enzymes, break down the foods we ingest into basic building blocks that our body then absorbs and reassembles to build cells, tissues, organs, glands and body systems.
These enzymes are produced by the body to help break down food into nutrients and waste. The nutrient molecules must be digested small enough to be absorbed through the lining of the small intestines. When we don’t produce enough digestive enzymes to complete this process efficiently, gas, bloating and more serious health difficulties may arise.
They come from two sources: internal and external. Internally, the digestive system secretes the enzymes found in saliva, the stomach, pancreas and intestines. Externally, raw food is the main source.
Food digestive enzymes are found in raw foods. Unprocessed whole foods contain most of the enzymes necessary for digesting that specific food. This is one reason why it’s important to include many raw foods in our diets. It decreases the stress on the body having to produce all the digestive system enzymes needed for food digestion. Chewing raw food releases these enzymes and digestion begins. Our own enzymes then assist in this process.
What are the benefits of digestive enzymes?
Caffeine, alcohol, illness, pregnancy, stress, severe weather and exercise all have an effect on our enzyme reserves. Notably, our bodies also produce less as we age. By the age thirty-five, the production of enzymes in the stomach, pancreas and small intestines begins to decline. Enzyme production in the body decreases by 30% in most adults over 50. But, one of the main reasons we don’t digest food efficiently is due to the processed food in our diets.
Our diets don’t contain as much raw food as they did previously, and modern food processing techniques and cooking destroy virtually every one of the enzymes naturally present in food. Even raw food doesn’t contain as many enzymes as it once did, as a result of environmental factors, depleted soil and preservation techniques.
The body tries to compensate by manufacturing more internal digestive enzymes to make up for the lack of external plant enzymes. Enzyme-deficient food puts a strain on the digestive system that it wasn’t intended to handle. Incomplete digestion can lead to deficient nutrient absorption, fatigue, digestive upset, food allergies and other health issues. Partly digested food particles escaping from the gut have the potential to cause an immune response, influencing the immune system. The body may also “steal” enzymes from the immune system, compromising it even further.
Digestive enzymes play a critical role in supporting the systems of the body, including the digestive system and colon, to function properly. If your body is enzyme deficient, it can lead to a wide variety of health conditions.
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