Digestive enzymes, when taken with or without meals, may boost your weight loss efforts by improving digestion and immune function, decreasing inflammation and speeding up recovery and repair. Enzymes occur naturally in raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and other foods. Supplementing with additional digestive enzymes may help to replace what you lose with age, says "Promoting Optimal Nutrition with Digestive Enzymes" by Dale Kiefer. Always consult with your doctor before beginning to take any supplement, including digestive enzymes.
Definition
Enzymes are proteins that facilitate chemical reactions in the body. Almost every process in your body relies on enzymes. Digestive enzymes enable the body to break down foods into their component parts for absorption. Proteins, carbohydrates and lipids break down into simpler amino acids, sugars and fatty acids that absorb through the intestinal walls. Each digestive enzyme corresponds with a component of food to break down the things you eat. Your body cannot absorb what it does not digest.
Types
Protease, amylase and lipase break down the macro-nutrients protein, carbohydrates and fats, respectively. Other protein-digesting enzymes include the mixture known as pancreatin, which releases from the pancreas in response to meals. Papain from papaya and bromelain from pineapple can also play important roles important rolls in digestion. Other crucial enzymes include cellulase, lactase, pepsin and catalase. Systemic enzymes like trypsin and chymotrypsin also have other important functions in the body, besides digestion.
Function
Enzymes have many functions relevant to weight loss. Digestion allows your body to absorb nutrients, without which you could not thrive or provide energy to your muscles. Malnutrition due to poor absorption of nutrients can slow metabolic rate. Moreover, undigested food can form blockages in the digestive systems, slowing elimination and promoting toxic buildup, according to Dale Kiefer of "Life Extension Magazine." The enzyme lipase play important roles in both digestion and the breakdown of fatty acids in the body. Enzymes may also reduce inflammation, encourage repair and fight autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Benefits
Better digestion leads to faster weight loss, according to "Combat the Fat" author Jeff Anderson. For example, when taken with protein after a workout, digestive enzymes increase absorption of the branched-chain amino acids. These special building blocks of protein have potent fat burning and muscle building effects in the body, says Anderson. In addition, enzymes may reduce gastrointestinal discomforts like gas, bloating or nausea following meals. The systemic enzymes make excellent alternatives to NSAIDS, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, with fewer undesired side effects, says Kiefer. By reducing inflammation, enzymes may help you get a better pain-free workout.
Misconceptions
Enzymes are not just for digestion and have many other important functions in the body. Even those enzymes labeled as "digestive" enzymes may contribute to overall health in other ways, according to "The Complete Book of Enzyme Therapy" by Anthony J. Cichoke. Despite the fact that whole foods naturally contain enzymes, many people do not get enough because cooking foods destroys most of the living enzyme content. Even individuals who eat a diet high in raw, fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts may benefit from enzyme supplementation. The aging body makes fewer of these crucial proteins, derailing healthy digestion and impacting your weight loss efforts, says "The Healing Power of Enzymes" by Dicqui Fuller.
References
- "Life Extension Magazine"; Promoting Optimal Nutrition With Digestive Enzymes; Dale Kiefer; January 2008
- "Combat the Fat"; Jeff Anderson; 2008
- "The Complete Book of Enzyme Therapy"; Anthony J. Cichoke; 1999
- "The Healing Power of Enzymes"; Dicqui Fuller; 1998
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