If your body needs enzymes; for example, to fight off a viral or bacterial attack, it must borrow enzymes from another system in your body. This is usually the digestive system since this system uses more enzymes than any other system in your body. Between 60 to 80 percent of your body’s energy is used by your digestive system making digestive enzymes important to your body.
Do I really need digestive enzymes? That’s a question that probably not many of us ask ourselves. We eat fats, carbohydrates, and proteins without even thinking about how they are broken down in our digestive system. If we don’t have enough enzymes or digestive enzymes we are setting ourselves up to diseases, imbalances, or obesity.
Are you bloated? Have you ever wondered why? 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?
Are they really the solution? 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, overeating and gall bladder problems. Drugs just mask the problem.
Types of Digestive Enzymes
Facts About Enzymes in Digestion
Indigestion can be caused by eating too fast, overeating, 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 overgrowth 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 overweight but can’t seem to lose weight? You might be lacking the digestive enzyme lipase.
No question about it. A healthful diet when combined with an adequate exercise program, a positive attitude and plenty of laughter is the true basis for a healthier lifestyle. When these items are practiced consistently you will feel better and live longer. Then when it comes time for you to bridge the nutritional gap, you can count on Generation Plus products to take your health the extra mile.
As society continues to find new and better ways to combat disease and improve overall health, we are led again and again to the role our diet plays in keeping our bodies working at their most efficient. It’s no secret that the way we eat greatly impacts our susceptibility to all manner of illness; so it stands to reason that for those of who wish to improve our health and protect ourselves as much as possible from illness, we turn to the properties of whole foods. In their natural state, whole foods provide a wealth of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
References
- Di Stefano M, Veneto G, Malservisi S, et al. Lactose malabsorption and intolerance in the elderly. Scand J Gastroenterol. 2001;36(12):1274-8.
- Macfarlane GT, Cummings JH, Allison C. Protein degradation by human intestinal bacteria. J Gen Microbiol. 1986;132(6):1647-56.
- Layer P, Keller J. Lipase supplementation therapy: standards, alternatives, and perspectives. Pancreas. 2003;26(1):1-7.
- http://www.sabinsa.com/…Probiotics_For_Health_And_Well_Being_Nutra.pdf.
- Goncalves P, Martel F. Butyrate and colorectal cancer: the role of butyrate transport. Curr Drug Metab. 2013;14(9):994-1008.
- Health Benefits of taking probiotic; August 22, 2018; Harvard Health Publishing
The information on enzyme-facts.com is not offered for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of any disease or disorder. We strongly encourage you to discuss topics of concern with your health care provider.