What are Enzymes?

Have you ever experienced GI symptoms and considered supplementing with a digestive enzyme? You may have heard that this will help you break down foods better or help with gas and bloating, but do you actually know what an enzyme is? Did you know that in your body there are many different enzymes? Not just ones that break down food. Well, you’ve come to the right place to learn more about enzymes so let’s start from the beginning!

There are approximately 75,000 enzymes that are thought to exist in the human body. One thing to remember about enzymes is they will always end in “ase” – so they are easy to spot. For example: lipase, protease and cellulase.

What exactly is an enzyme? Imagine your body as a chemistry lab. In different parts of your body, in millions of cells, organs, muscles or bones, various reactions are taking place every day to keep you alive. Enzymes assist in keeping the body in top form. They help lower cholesterol levels, clean the colon, break down fats, strengthen the immune system, improve our mental capacity, build muscles, and much more. But how?? Enzymes in the body are catalysts to biochemical reactions. They participate in various reactions (over 5,000 in the body!) without being altered themselves.

An enzyme is a protein molecule made up of various amino acids, shaped in a perfect pre-determined way to perform a specific task. Some help break down large molecules into smaller molecules that are more easily absorbed by the body. Some enzymes help bind two molecules together to make a new molecule with its own job. The special thing about enzymes is that they are able to increase the speed of a reaction. This helps our bodies run more efficiently than they would without enzymes, because we do not have to expend as much energy.

Like what you’re reading? Follow us on Facebook for more!

Think of a jar filled with magnets. Magnets are only attracted to each other if the correct end is aligned with the correct end of another magnet. Left alone, a few of the magnets in the jar might be lying perfectly so that they line up, but most will not be aligned properly or will be too far away from each other. Now, let’s say you shake the jar. The shaking will help to attract more magnets together, but you’re expending a lot of energy to do this. Suppose we add an enzyme to the jar – like the conductor of an orchestra, this leader is going to help the process be more efficient. It will guide the magnets to each other. In essence, a leader will almost always increase the speed and efficiency in which a reaction occurs, and you will not be using as much energy because you now have help, making you more efficient.

Let’s look at some different types of enzymes and their role in our bodies. Remember that enzymes facilitate functions like digestion, metabolism, absorption, excretion, functions in organs like the liver, blood clotting, and even reproduction.

Metabolic enzymes

Metabolic enzymes help with reactions in our bodies that have to do with metabolizing or breaking down certain compounds like dopamine and epinephrine, or things we consume like acetaminophen or caffeine. Remember that anything we make in the body, like hormones and cholesterol, and things that we breath in or absorb through the skin will be used by the body in some way (some good and some bad!). Enzymes help the body use the product, break down the product and then excrete the product.

Some metabolic enzymes are: oxidase, hydrolase, reductase, lyase, ligase, isomerase, glucuronidase, transaminase and dehydrogenase.

Liver enzymes

Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) are used to detect damage to the liver. Both of these enzymes are actually transfer functional groups, from one molecule to another. They both participate in amino acid degradation and biosynthesis. Because they are both found inside liver cells (ALT more than AST), if the liver is injured or inflamed, the cells will release these enzymes into the bloodstream, where they will show up as elevated on a blood test.

Nucleases

DNA polymerase is a nuclease that helps create and replicate DNA in our body. In humans, they are essential for many aspects of DNA repair. These enzymes are important for recognizing damaged DNA sites.

Receptor enzymes

Many reactions in our bodies are facilitated by receptors. Receptors are the sensing molecules or elements that communicate the signal from a molecule to the cell, to elicit specific physiological change. An example would be a tyrosine kinase. This enzyme stimulates cell proliferation, otherwise known as growth factor. Vascular-endothelial growth factor or (VEGF) promotes new blood vessel growth.

Digestive enzymes

Digestive enzymes are the enzymes that help us break down and absorb our food. Some examples would be amylase, protease and lipase. When you eat, food comes in contact with various enzymes the moment it enters your mouth. Amylase in our saliva starts the breakdown of starches; lipase starts to break down fatty acids in the food. Interesting fact: Lipase on the tongue is abundant in infants and helps them digest the fat in breast milk, but this enzyme decreases as we get older. You can read more about the enzymes we use for fat digestion here. You can also check out Lypo Gold™, our enzyme blend designed specifically to digest fat.

As the food makes its way down the esophagus to the stomach, these enzymes continue to work. The food will then meet the enzymes of the stomach, like pepsin; here most of the micronutrients will be removed from the food, which is why hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes are so important. Then the food will meet the enzymes of the small intestine, including trypsin and lipase. The part of the small intestine where most of the work takes place is called the duodenum. The enzymes here will break down amino acids from protein, fatty acids and cholesterol from fats, and simple sugars from the carbohydrates you have consumed. Nucleases split the nucleic acids needed for DNA into nucleotides. Once digestion is final and the molecules are small enough, these various nutrients will be absorbed into the blood to be used by the body, and the waste products will make their way to the large intestine for excretion.

As you can see, there are many different enzymes and enzymatic reactions in our bodies. When it comes to our health, we can help facilitate these enzymes by eating a balanced diet to provide the nutrients the enzymes need as helpers. You can also supplement with a high-quality enzyme blend from a trusted company. Digest Gold™ is one example of such a product. It is America’s #1 selling enzyme blend.

Who might benefit from taking digestive enzymes?

Those of us who are concerned with decreased nutrients in the foods we eat and would like some help extracting all the nutrients available in these foods may benefit from taking digestive enzymes.

People with any type of occasional digestive issue, like occasional bloating, gas or irregularity. Digestive enzymes can help with some of the work to help take some stress off of organs that are working overtime to try and break-down difficult to digest starches, proteins and fat.

People who feel their digestive efficiency has decreased. As we age, our natural production of enzymes and stomach acid decreases, and there is an increased occurrence of protein malabsorption.

Those who feel tired and fatigued after eating. Did you know that digestion takes up to 80% of our spare energy? Supplemental enzymes help with the efficient breakdown of nutrients, helping to conserve your body’s energy stores.

Physically active people with larger calorie needs. Some of us need to eat more food to keep up with our energy needs. However, this also places a heavy burden on our digestive system.

Enzymes are truly amazing, helping to do so many things! The next time you take a bite of food, you might think differently about the various types of enzymes that are about to help you digest and utilize it!

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook for FREE product giveaways and blog notifications!