Enzymes: Discover Powerful Wide-Ranging Benefits for Health and Wellness

September 07, 2023
by Billy Pons

Enzymes are necessary for life. These proteins are responsible for a variety of bodily functions that range from maintaining gut health to removing toxins from the body.

While enzymes are crucial for overall health and wellness, studies suggest that they offer a variety of health benefits that include such diverse functions as supporting nutrient absorption to reducing inflammation.

What Are Enzymes?

Enzymes are special types of proteins that help create essential biochemical reactions in the body. Enzymes are needed for a wide range of biological functions ranging from muscle movements and breathing to producing digestion.

What Do Enzymes Do?

Enzymes act as a catalyst that speeds up the biochemical reactions that occur in the body. Some enzymes break down hydrogen peroxide to become oxygen and water, while some help to make new strands of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

Enzymes also help to break down ingested foods and turn them into usable energy by the body in the process of digestion.

When it comes to the digestion system, each enzyme has a specific action that works in concert with other enzymes to turn food into energy. For example, proteases are enzymes that help break down proteins found in meats and beans, while lipase breaks down fat. Without enzymes, food would pass through the body without being broken down, and there would be no energy extracted. This is essentially what happens in malabsorption disorders like celiac disease and cystic fibrosis.

Celiac disease is an allergy to the wheat protein gluten that damages the lining of the gut. This damage impedes nutrient absorption. Cystic fibrosis is a disease that causes thick mucus secretions that can block organs like the pancreas. This blockage leads to fewer pancreatic enzymes being secreted and a lowered absorption of crucial nutrients like proteins, fats, and fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A.