Digestive Enzymes Overview

"Life could not be defined as an orderly, integrated 

succession of enzymatic reactions"

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Enzymes are the single most important element of your health and far out weigh the importance of any other nutrient. Nothing in the human body functions without enzymes making it happen.  Without exception, every new "breakthrough" nutritional product being introduced on the market depends entirely upon enzymes (i.e. MSM, HGH, 5HDP, DHEA, Vitamins, Minerals, Amino Acids, etc.) for it's effectiveness.  So, what are enzymes?  Enzymes are:  

• Proteins that hold an electrical charge

• Catalysts that speed up chemical processed without being used up in the process

• Specific in that they only cut certain bonds that hold proteins, sugars or fats together

• Effective in that one enzyme can bread-down millions of bonds

There are three factors that effect enzymes; enzymes; temperature, pH and inhibitors.  Enzymes work optimally at slightly higher temperatures.  This is why the body creates a fever when it's fighting off an infection.  When temperatures go above 118 degrees, most enzymes are destroyed.  This is what happens when you cook and process your foods. Each enzyme has its own optimum pH range in which it is active.  When it goes outside of this pH range the enzyme is inactivated.  Similarly, when specific substances (i.e. snake or insect venom, aspirin, etc.) are introduced into the body they may inhibit certain enzymes.  

Where do enzymes come from?  Enzymes come from one of three sources;  plants, animals, or microbes (see Enzyme Comparison Chart).  Plant enzymes (bromelain and papain) work in a wide pH range but only digest some proteins.  Animal enzymes (pepsin, pancreatin) work in a very limited pH range and only digest some of the food groups.  The microbial enzymes (Digestive Enzyme HP270V) are the only ones that work in a wide pH range and will digest all of the food groups.  Acid and alkaline are the two words most commonly associated with pH.  pH means hydrogen potential or the number of hydrogen ions in a solution  (see pH Range Chart).  

More hydrogen = acidic                                     Less hydrogen = alkaline

The pH in the human digestive tract varies greatly (see Human Digestive Tract pH Range Chart).  The pH of saliva is usually between 6.5  -  7.5.  After we chew and swallow food it then enters the fundic or upper portion of the stomach which has a pH between 4.0 - 6.5.  This is where "predigestion" occurs while the lower portion of the stomach is secreting hydrochloric acid (HCI) and pepsin until it reaches a pH between 1.5 - 4.0.  After the food mixes with these juices it then enters the duodenum (small intestine) where the pH changes to 7.0 - 8.5.  This is where 90% of the absorption of nutrients is taken in by the body while the waste products are passed out through the colon (pH 4.0 - 7.0).

With the basic understanding of enzymes and digestion let's look at what happens to your body over the period of one life-time. Your body was specifically designed to function on raw, enzyme-rich foods which support the digestive and metabolic enzymes found naturally in the body (see Enzyme Pyramid Chart).  When enzymes are present in the raw foods you eat they "predigest" themselves and are readily assimilated.  Think of what happens when you eat a salad for lunch.  How long does it take before you're hungry again?  Now, let's look at what happens when you lower your body's enzyme level through eating enzyme-deficient foods.  Enzymes occurring naturally in foods are destroyed by heating, cooking, pasteurizing or processing.  At the bottom of the Enzyme Pyramid are the food enzymes received from the foods you eat.  They are the most abundant and are the foundation of our health and longevity.  When these food enzymes are not replenished on a daily basis, your body is forced to supply all of the enzymes needed to digest that  cooked food.  This is where the The Law of Adaptive Secretion that was established in 1943 is important.  This law holds that an organism values its enzymes highly and will make no more than are needed for the job. These enzymes come from your digestive system or the second level of the Enzyme Pyramid.  After years or decades of eating patterns that lack enzymes, your body will eventually use up its own digestive enzymes or the building blocks needed to make them. What may show up at this point are a host of side effects that include acid reflux, gas, belching, heartburn, indigestion, nausea and upset stomach.  These symptoms are not a result of too much HCI and enzymes but way too few.  Your body has now used up the two lower levels of the Enzyme Pyramid.  

Do you stop eating now? No, you continue to eat enzyme-deficient foods that will now begin to rob the enzymes that perform all of your internal bodily functions. They are referred to as metabolic enzymes or the third level of the Enzyme Pyramid. Once this process starts, whatever genetic weaknesses or tendencies that run in your family-tree may begin to appear (i.e. cancer, diabetes, heart disease). Because of the limited number of metabolic enzymes and the importance of their functions, the body will deteriorate at a very rapid pace. Death occurs when your final enzyme  has been used up.

• Reduction of gas, bloating, indigestion and heartburn

• Better elimination

• Increased energy levels

• Balance of blood sugar levels 

• Relief from hiatal hernias and ulcers

• Lactose tolerance