There are many myths and misconceptions regarding enzymes in popular nutrition. As such, you may have heard that eating foods containing enzymes--proteolytic or otherwise--is good for you and can help prevent or treat health problems. There are many foods that contain proteolytic enzymes--all foods that contain cells, for instance--but the enzymes don't benefit you.
Proteolytic Enzymes
Proteolytic enzymes are molecules that help digest proteins. All organisms possess them, because all organisms need to be able to break down proteins to access their building blocks, which are called amino acids. The organisms then use amino acids to build new proteins. Your own cells make a variety of proteolytic enzymes. For instance, you produce a variety of these enzymes in your digestive tract, where they help you digest proteins so that you can absorb their nutritional constituents.
Foods Containing Enzymes
Any food you eat that contains whole cells also contains proteolytic enzymes. This includes all meats, all fruits and vegetables, and all whole grains. Foods that don't contain cells, including milk and food extracts like pure starch, don't contain proteolytic enzymes. Two of the most common proteolytic enzymes in nutritional supplements are pineapple and papaya enzymes. Papaya enzymes in particular make excellent meat tenderizers, because they break down tough meat fibers. You can use papaya to marinate meat before cooking.
Enzyme Misconceptions
While many foods contain proteolytic enzymes, the enzymes are of no use to you. This is because there's no scientific evidence that you can take up enzymes from non-human sources and use them to run chemical reactions. Even if you were able to take up and use the proteolytic enzymes in foods you eat, the only thing the enzymes would be able to do would be to digest protein. Enzymes are very reaction-specific.
Acidity Issues
In addition to your body's inability to take up enzymes from food sources, you also destroy the enzymes in foods as soon as you consume them. This is because enzymes are very sensitive to acid. Only enzymes accustomed to an acidic environment can survive the stomach's interior. Because cells in foods aren't as acidic as the stomach, when you consume foods containing enzymes, your stomach renders the enzymes inactive and you digest them.
References
- "Biochemistry"; Mary Campbell, Ph.D. and Shawn Farrell, Ph.D.; 2005
- "Biochemistry"; Reginald Garrett, Ph.D. and Charles Grisham, Ph.D.; 2007
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