The importance of digestive enzymes

Millions of people ingest all types of food every day without an inclination of how proteins, carbs, and fats chemically react within the wondrous complexities of human digestive system. The inconvenient truth is that average person is not consuming enough enzymes or digestive enzymes which are causing an unfortunate epidemic of diseases, imbalances, or obesity.

Digestion 101

Digestion is defined as the mechanical and chemical breaking down of food into smaller parts, to a form that can be absorbed into the blood stream. The end of the digestive process is defecation. The food enters the mouth, is chewed by the teeth, and broken down by the saliva from the salivary glands. It travels down the esophagus and into the stomach where acid breaks down most of the food. The remainder goes through the small intestine, then through the large intestine or bowel, and comes out as waste through the anus. It's a form of catabolism. In other words, it's the process of the conversion of complex substances into simpler ones for easy absorption and assimilation by the body. This is the purpose of the digestive tract.

Dr Edward Howell

In 1930, he established a private practice for the treatment of advanced illness, which utilized nutritional and physical therapies. In 1932, he started the National Enzyme Company so that he might expand his research on food enzyme nutrition and provide his enzyme supplements, Genuine N Zimes, to the public. As knowledge of the effectiveness of Genuine N Zimes spread, the demand by consumers and doctors alike increased. In the early 1980’s, the advancements in enzyme technology caused the development of a professional-strength enzyme supplement called NESS, short for Nutritional Enzyme Support System (NEC). The product line was launched in 1985 and the company Enzyme, Inc. was formed to be the exclusive distributor of NESS and other brands of enzyme supplements manufactured by NEC. In the year 2000, Enzymes, Inc was purchased by Lynn Greaves and her husband, Jim. She had joined Enzymes, Inc in 1985 and worked with Dr. Howell along with the owner of NEC. Enzymes, Inc now offers 125 different enzyme products and 6 different product lines.

Dr Howell was a pioneer in his field. He was the first researcher to recognize and to outline the importance of enzymes in food to the nutrition of human beings. He wrote The Status of Food Enzymes In Digestion and Metabolism in 1946. It took him more than 20 years to complete Enzyme Nutrition, which is a condensed version. The original work has about 700 pages and is approximately 160,000 words long and contains 695 references to the world’s scientific literature as well as 47 tables. It contains the reference and source materials for Dr Howell’s enzyme theories, which he called the Food Enzyme Concept. The book reviews the scientific literature through 1973.

Dr. Howell stated the following maxim: The length of life is inversely proportional to the rate of exhaustion of the enzyme potential of an organism. The increased use of food enzymes promotes a decreased rate of exhaustion of the enzyme potential. Another rule can be expressed as follows: Whole foods give good health; enzyme-rich foods provide limitless energy.

Dr Edward Howell believed that cooking our food results in a shortened life span, illness and a lowered resistance to various types of stress. He pointed out that Homo sapiens and animals in general consuming a diet largely of cooked foods have enlarged pancreases, while the others glands and organs, the brain to a high degree, shrink in size.

At the age of 88, while living in Southwest Florida, he served as Research Director for the Food Enzyme Research Foundation while continuing his writing and research. His last residence was Fort Myers, Lee County, Florida where he died on March 30, 1988. His wife Evangeline was born March 27, 1904 and died in August of 1991.

The symptoms of a lack of digestive enzymes

The most common symptom resulting from a lack of enzymes in our body creates an imbalance that transfers borrowed enzymes from other systems in the body. This enzyme deficiency causes the body to be less prone to fight off a viral or bacterial attack. This usually process in the human digestive system drains the body of energy because then the body needs to create enzymes it takes about 60-80 percent of your total body’s energy to digest the food ingested.

Are you still tired after eating? People can eat nutritious food but still be tired. They can develop chronic diseases and age prematurely. Why does this happen? It might be due to poor assimilation and poor absorption of food and nutrients. This is why the digestive system operating properly is so important. Digestive enzymes, which are responsible for the metabolism of food, include Carbohydrates, (such as sucrose, cellulose, amylase, and maltase), lipase, proteases (such as rennin), lactase, and pepsin. Hydrochloric acid is also important for proper digestion.

Are you bloated? You lack the digestive enzyme amylase to break down sugar in your food. The sugar then ferments and produces gas or gas symptoms. Then you have bloating, flatulence and burping or belching.

Do you have acid reflux? This is sometimes called heartburn. Doctors prescribe expensive drugs. How safe are these drugs? Too much acid in the stomach doesn’t cause acid reflux. The sphincter between the stomach and esophagus relaxes at the wrong time. This is due to things such as stress, over eating and gall bladder problems. Drugs just mask the problem.

Do you have indigestion? Indigestion can be caused by eating too fast, over eating, food allergies, too little or too much stomach acid, or enzyme deficiencies, to name a few. Antacids just neutralize acids. They are not the answer to indigestion.

Do you have bouts of diarrhea and/or constipation? How about abdominal pain? Then you possibly could be suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. One cause of this disease is an over growth of Candida albicans. This is opportunistic yeast that can invade your colon or lower bowel caused by taking antibiotics. The antibiotics can’t discriminate between the bad bacteria and the good bacteria, which reside in your colon, and thus kill the good microflora. They are essential to digestion. They also produce enzymes and protect us from bacteria and viruses that invade our body. Probiotics; therefore, are a good adjunct to enzymes.

Have you been told you are lactose intolerant? This means you lack the enzyme lactase to break down the lactose contained in dairy products such as milk and ice cream. What are some common symptoms of lactose intolerance? They are nausea, cramping, and bloating with gas or diarrhea. They can be mild to severe.

Are you over weight but can’t seem to lose weight? You might be lacking the digestive enzyme lipase.

*Please consult your doctor about any of these health problems, and before you start a new diet plan.