Enzymes Article by Jon Barron Protease and Lipase Enzymes

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Digestive Enzymes for a Modern Diet

There is an old Latin expression, " sine qua non, " which

translates as, " without which there is not. " When it comes to

health and nutrition, digestive enzymes may be the single most important

" sine qua non. "

Anyone who has any understanding of health knows you should take

digestive enzyme supplements with every single meal. If you are not

taking a digestive enzyme supplement, then take a moment to get a better

understanding of a simple, inexpensive step that can dramatically

improve your health and vitality. Because no one's diet is perfect

all the time, Jon Barron has insightfully created a unique Digestive

Enzyme formula " designed for real world diets " .

Real World Diets

So what exactly does Jon mean when he says that his Digestive Enzymes

formula is " designed for real world diets " ? (He insisted that we

put the phrase on the label.) Is he talking about the fact that many

people live on pepperoni pizza, beer, and Ding Dongs?

We asked him that question, and after he stopped laughing, he explained,

" No, although a good enzyme formula will certainly help if you eat

badly, I'm assuming that most of the people who use my formulas are

somewhat connected to the Baseline of Health concept and eat better than

that – at least most of the time. What I'm talking about is a

formula that not only helps people who eat badly, but also helps people

who try and do the right thing but still need help because they live in

the real world. They still have to eat on the road more often than they

might like. They still eat more cooked and prepared foods than is ideal.

In other words, they eat real world diets. "

" These Digestive Enzymes really help. Before, I used to get indigestion

all the time, but now I have no problems at all. I can't get along

without these Digestive Enzymes. " T., FL. What Are Enzymes

Before we explore Jon's " real world " formula, let's back

up and talk basics. What are enzymes?

The answer: enzymes are specialized proteins that facilitate and speed

up chemical reactions. Digestive enzymes are a specific group of enzymes

that aid in the breakdown of the foods you eat so your body can use them

for energy, tissue repair, and growth. So what's the problem?

Digestion the Way Nature Intended

Nature intended that you eat enzyme rich food and chew it properly so

that it thoroughly mixes with enzyme rich saliva. If you do that, the

food enters the stomach laced with digestive enzymes. (All live foods

have enzymes present that promote the breakdown of those foods.) These

enzymes then " predigest " your food for about an hour -- actually

breaking down as much as 75% of your meal.

In healthy digestion, it is only after this period of " predigestion "

that hydrochloric acid is introduced to the process (along with a

stomach enzyme called pepsin). This acid/pepsin mix inactivates all of

the enzymes used in predigestion but then begins its own function of

breaking down what is left of the meal, turning it into a nutrient rich

concentrate.

When this part of the process is finished, the concentrate moves on into

the small intestine, where the acid is neutralized and the pancreas

reintroduces whatever small amount of digestive enzymes are needed to

finish the digestive process. As digestion is completed, nutrients are

then passed through the intestinal wall and into the blood stream.

The bottom line is that before any of the food you eat reaches your

body's cells, all the protein is converted into amino acids, fats

into fatty acids, and carbohydrates into glucose – or at least they

should be. That's what nature intended. Unfortunately, most of us don't

live our lives as nature intended!

Cooking and Processing Destroy Enzymes

Man is the only animal (other than a handful of domesticated animals)

that eats cooked and processed food! Think about it; it's just not

natural, and as it turns out, it's decidedly unhealthy. Why? Because

any sustained heat of approximately 118–129 degrees destroys

virtually all enzymes, thereby disrupting the entire digestive process.

In addition, most forms of food processing also destroy enzymes.

We're talking about white flour, white rice, pasteurized milk,

processed cheese, chemically preserved foods, soda pop, candy, TV

dinners, etc – all are devoid of enzymes.

For most of us, the food we eat is severely enzyme deficient. An

interesting fact is that your body recognizes that the food you're

eating is devoid of enzymes and tries to compensate. Amylase levels in

the saliva of people who eat a modern diet and don't chew enough are

as much as 40 times higher than in the saliva of people who eat a more

natural diet – but it's still not enough. The result is that

instead of benefiting from predigestion as nature intended, the food you

eat sits in your stomach for an hour, like a heavy lump, with little or

no pre-digestion taking place. Your body tries to compensate yet again

by pumping in extra amounts of stomach acid (a major cause of acid

reflux), but the net result is that it's too little, too late.

And it gets worse. The meal now enters the small intestine largely

undigested. This forces the body to compensate yet one more time by

forcing the pancreas to pump out huge quantities of digestive enzymes to

break down this largely undigested mush. This hugely stresses the

pancreas, leads to tremendous inefficiencies in the extraction of energy

and nutrients from your meals, is physically exhausting, and on top of

everything else, provides a vast breeding ground for all kinds of

parasites and harmful bacteria. Is it any wonder that over 100,000,000

people in the United States are affected with digestive disorders?

Regular supplementation with digestive enzymes minimize the assault on

your stomach, reduces the overproduction of hydrochloric acid, takes

stress off the pancreas, maximizes the extraction of energy and

nutrients, and prevents the draining of the body's energy reserves

– all by providing the enzymes required for digestion as nature

intended. In other words, a well designed digestive enzyme supplement

just may be one of the best insurance policies you can give your body so

you can enjoy a long and healthy life.

Designed for Real World Diets

Many companies promote their digestive enzyme formula on the sole virtue

of how much protease it contains. Some companies go so far as to present

tables in their literature comparing their protease levels to the levels

found in competitors' formulas, with the implied understanding that

he who has the most wins. If only it were that simple. But as is usually

true when it comes to health and nutrition, the real value of a

digestive enzyme formula is a bit more complex.

Breaking down proteins

First, let's talk about protease. Is it important? Absolutely! But

even here, things are a bit more subtle. It's not just a question of

" how much " protease you have, but also " how effective "

it is in the different pH environments it encounters. Remember, the

stomach starts out as pH neutral then shifts to highly acidic, and then

as the food leaves your stomach and enters the intestinal tract, it

encounters a strongly alkaline environment. No single protease works in

all these environments. There is only one answer. You have to use more

than one source of protease, and one of them has to be acid stable. This

is a fairly simple concept, but it is amazing how many companies ignore

it in their formulas. Make sure you don't.

Breaking down fats

Lipase is actually the simplest of the enzymes to deal with. It's

fairly acid stable, and it works on pretty much all fats – aided

later in the digestive process by bile produced in the liver. As long as

you have enough lipase in your formula, you're pretty well covered,

although some people may need to add bile salts to their supplementation

program if their livers are not producing adequately.

Breaking down carbohydrates

This is where we separate the men from the boys when it comes to

digestive enzyme formulas. This is where a formula designed for

" real world diets " moves ahead of formulas designed from

textbooks. The simple truth is that there is no one " carbohydrate

enzyme " that breaks down all carbs. Just including amylase to break

down carbohydrates and starches is not good enough.

You need specialized enzymes such as:

* Lactase to digest milk sugar. Lactase deficiency is the most common

and well-known form of carbohydrate intolerance. Most mammals, including

humans, have high intestinal lactase activity at birth. But, in many

cases, this activity declines to low levels during childhood and remains

low in adulthood. The low lactase levels cause incomplete digestion of

milk and other foods containing lactose. It is estimated that

approximately 70% of the world's population is deficient in intestinal

lactase with more than one-third of the U.S. population presumed to be

lactose intolerant and unable to digest dairy products. Supplemental

lactase enzymes have been found to decrease the symptoms of lactose

intolerance associated with the consumption of dairy foods. *

Amylase helps your body break down and assimilate starches and

carbohydrates. Supplemental amylase is particularly useful for those who

don't chew enough. * Glucoamylase assures the breakdown of

maltose (malt sugar) into glucose molecules. Like amylase, the action of

glucoamylase terminates in the release of glucose from the breakdown of

starch. Glucoamylase works hand-in-hand with amylase by breaking down

terminal linkages, whereas amylase breaks interior bonds. *

Cellulase digests cellulose (fiber). Cellulase, which is not produced by

the human body, breaks the bonds found in fiber. By disrupting the

structure of the fiber matrices or cell walls which envelop most of the

nutrients in plants, cellulase increases the nutritional value of fruits

and vegetables. * Hemicellulase breaks the interior glucosidic bonds

of galactomannoglucans yielding polysaccharides of lower molecular

weight. Hemicellulase breaks down hemicellulose. Bottom line:

hemicellulase helps break down fiber components in the intestinal tract.

* Malt diastase, or maltase, digests complex and simple sugars. Maltase

also breaks down unused glycogen in muscle tissue. Glycogen is a thick,

sticky substance that is converted from sugars and starches and is

stored in your muscle cells for future use. If stored glycogen continues

to build up in the muscle tissues, it leads to progressive muscle

weakness and degeneration. * Invertase works to break down sucrose

products like refined table sugar into glucose and fructose. The

abundance of processed and highly refined foods in the average diet

means we consume a great amount of this type of sugar which can

contribute to digestive stress. It has been theorized that sucrose

intolerance may be a contributing factor in many allergies. Supplemental

invertase enzymes can increase the assimilation and utilization of this

sugar. * Alpha Galactosidase helps minimize gas, bloating, and

flatulence caused by carbohydrates found in certain foods such as beans

that are not digestible in the small intestine. Undigested, these

carbohydrates then pass into the large intestine where they are

fermented by bacteria and produce gas, bloating, pain and general

discomfort. The use of supplemental alpha galactosidase minimizes this

problem.

It is these kinds of ingredients that actually work on the complete

range of foods you are likely to eat – whether it's a gulped

down sprout salad at home, or a pepperoni pizza on the road. It is these

enzymes that define a formula as " designed for real world

diets. "

Real World Benefits

Dr. Howell, in his book on enzyme nutrition, puts it quite clearly when

he says that " a person's life span is directly related to the

exhaustion of their enzyme potential. And the use of food enzymes

decreases that rate of exhaustion, and thus, results in a longer,

healthier, and more vital life. "

The bottom line is that you need to ask yourself: how could you not be

insisting that everyone you know and love use enzymes every time they

eat? How could you not be using them yourself every time you eat?

" These " I've always had upset stomach problems and bloating. And then

someone introduced me to the Digestive Enzymes, and I couldn't believe

how they calmed my stomach down. That was years ago, and I've been

taking them ever since. I'm familiar with all Jon Barron's products

and I think they are awesome, but the Digestive Enzymes are a life saver

for me. I don't leave home without them! " A., CA

In addition to a longer, healthier, and more vital life, you may also

experience a number of short-term benefits including:

* A significant reduction in indigestion and heartburn problems

resulting from too much acid in the stomach. * Relief from gas and

bloating as a result of improved carbohydrate digestion. (Some people

may actually notice an increase in activity for several days as their

digestive systems come alive.) * Improved digestion of dairy

products caused by lactose intolerance. * Diminished food allergies

due to more complete protein digestion. * An increase in energy

levels as the result of greatly reduced stress on the body.

Regular use of digestive enzymes may also provide relief from acid

reflux and hiatal hernias. Acid Reflux occurs when high levels of

stomach acid are introduced too early in the digestive process and

splash up into your esophagus. Oftentimes, the mere act of using

digestive enzymes can eliminate acid reflux.

With all the colorful pills and catchy promises, it is important for you

to understand that while the use of prescription and over-the-counter

acid reflux drugs may help alleviate the symptoms of acid reflux, they

may also significantly aggravate the following three problems:

1. Incomplete digestion. High levels of stomach acid cannot

adequately overcome the lack of predigestion. That means that food is

only partially digested, which means that many proteins that are not

sufficiently broken down enter the blood stream causing allergic and

autoimmune problems. 2. Chronic indigestion. Acid reflux drugs,

which reduce the amount of stomach acid, actually make this problem even

worse. Eventually, you crush the ability of your stomach to produce

sufficient stomach acid, which means incomplete digestion. Also, if you

continually use drugs that artificially suppress your stomach's acid

making abilities, you eventually kill its ability to produce stomach

acid at all. 3. Malnutrition. Incomplete digestion means that you

don't get full nutrient value from your meal. This is a common condition

in the elderly, again, aggravated by the use of acid reflux medications.

And finally, regular use of digestive enzymes may provide relief from

ulcers. Digestive enzymes help with ulcers in two ways.

1. First, they help digest so much of your meal during the 40-60

minutes of predigestion that your body requires less acid in the actual

digestion phase. This means that taking digestive enzymes will help

lower the levels of acid in your stomach. 2. Those who suffer from

chronic low levels of acid need not worry. Digestive enzyme supplements

help here too by breaking down so much food in the predigestion phase

that less acid is actually required. Over time, decreased demand results

in increased reserve capability.

The good news for the average person in the real world is that

supplementing with Jon Barron's Digestive Enzymes formula goes a

long way to improving how your body works and feels.

Source: Jon Barron's Baseline of Health Newsletters

THE ABOVE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG

ADMINISTRATION. THIS INGREDIENT IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT,

CURE, OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.