facctors orchesstrate themsselves in a complicated

d
ochemical opus called a “complexx.” It is the
bio e
enzzyme complex that brin ngs about tthe essentia
al
enzzyme activityy.

Thee fact of the

e matter is that enzyme es are more e
impportant than the air youu breathe, th
he water you u
drin
nk, and the ffood you eatt. Why is this? Because e
enzzymes are required forr your bodyy to function n
The Key
K To Good
G Health pro
operly becau use without enzymes yyou wouldn''t
be able to brea athe, swallow, drink, ea
at, think, see
e,
Thee chemistry of
o digestion is really sim
mple; with alll or digest your food. All of your ce ells, organss,
the three majjor types of o food beiing protein,, bonnes, musclees, and tissuues are run bby enzymes s.
carbbohydrates, and fats. But reme ember, the e Youur immune system, kiidneys, pan ncreas, liverr,
impportant thing is not how much food we eat, butt spl een, and blo
ood stream d depend on eenzymes.
her how much food we
rath e digest. An nd enzymes s
are the main coomponent in food digestiion.

Anyyone who un nderstands health mostt certainly iss

taking digestive
e enzyme supplements
s s with everyy
sing
gle meal theey eat. Unfoortunately, most
m peoplee
thin
nk of enzymes (if they think
t of them at all) ass
neccessary only if they have
e some kind of digestivee
probblem. And, yes, it's tru
ue that peopple suffering
g
from
m digestive problems have beneffited greatly y
from
m using dige
estive enzymme suppleme ents.

But if you think that’s all enzymes are

a for, then
n
you
u’ve missed the
t point.

Wh
hat Are Enyzmes?
? In a perfect w world, if wee ate enzym me-rich foods s
(raww foods) an nd chewed them prope erly, then thee
I ju
ust knew you
y were going
g to as
sk that! An
n foood would entter the stomach laced w with enzymes s
enzzyme is a ca
atalyst. om the food and our sa
(fro aliva), which h would then n
“preedigest” up to ¾ of the e food for approximately y
But what’s a catalystt? one e hour. Afterwards, the hydrochloricc acid in our
stoomach would d inactivate all of the eenzymes, bu ut
theen begin its oown function
n of breaking g down wha at
I re
emember my m high sch hool chemistry teacher,,
wass left of thee meal. Even ntually, this nutrient rich
h
Mrss. Reed, who taught us the deffinition of a
foood concentra ate would mmove on intto the small
cataalyst. Just in case you’ve had a momentary y
inteestine, at which time e the panccreas would d
mem mory lapse,, a catalyst is a substtance whichh
reinntroduce d digestive e enzymes. F Finally, the e
cauuses a chemmical reaction
n to take pla
ace without,,
nuttrients would d be passeed through tthe intestina al
itse
elf, becoming
g a part of that chemiccal reaction..
wa ll and into th
he blood stre
eam.
Theere are numeerous enzymmes within th
he body thatt
are responsible for the hundreds of o chemicall
reacctions which
h must take place in orrder to keep
p Unforttunately, we don’tt live
the body functio
oning normaally. in a perfecct world…
…
But by themselv ves, enzyme es are just pieces
p of the
e Wee don’t prop perly chew our food and we ea at
estive puzzle
dige e. For enzy ymes to actu ually perform
m moostly processsed and cooked foods which havee
thouusands of ta
asks, they need
n help froom vitamins s no enzymes. You see, ccooking fressh fruits and
d
andd minerals (c
co-factors). The
T enzyme and the co-- veg
getables desstroys their enzymes. At betweenn
2 
112˚F and 122˚F, enzymes are destroyed. For
over 90% of Americans, this means that most of
the food we eat is devoid of enzymes. This is
where the typical problem occurs. Cooked food
contains no enzymes because they have been
denatured (destroyed).
If you eat a meal consisting of a salad, a steak,
and rice, there are probably enough food enzymes
contained in the salad to digest it, but there would
be no extra enzymes available to help digest rice
and steak, which have no food enzymes because
they have been cooked. Our body must then take
over and internally create the needed amount of
digestive enzymes to handle the task.
At this point, the pancreas is put under remarkable
stress since it has to draw reserves from the entire
body in order to produce massive amounts of
digestive enzymes. Food digestion is the top
priority of our body’s internal systems. It is of
utmost importance. As a matter of fact, up to 80%
of the body’s energy is expended by the digestive
process.
The more we depend on our body to create
digestive enzymes, the more stress we put on our
body and the less time the body’s systems and
organs have for rebuilding and replacing worn out
and damaged cells and tissue and keeping the
immune system strong.
Types of Enzymes
There are three major classes of enzymes:
metabolic enzymes (enzymes which work in
blood, tissues, and organs), food enzymes from
raw food, and digestive enzymes. There are also
three main categories of digestive enzymes:
proteases (for protein digestion), amylases (for
carbohydrate digestion), and lipases (for fat
digestion). We digest proteins into amino acids,
carbohydrates into glucose, and fats into fatty
acids. Each day, the pancreas secretes about 1.7
liters of pancreatic juice in the small intestine. In
this juice are enzymes (including lipase, protease,
and amylase) required for the digestion and
absorption of food.
Lipase (along with bile) helps digest fats. Amylase
(secreted by the salivary glands and pancreas)
breaks down starch molecules into more
absorbable sugars. The proteases secreted by the
pancreas (trypsin, chymotrypsin, and carboxy-
peptidase) break protein molecules into single
amino acids. There are also two plant-based
proteases – bromelain (from the stems of pine-
apples) and papain (from unripe papayas). Fresh
fruits and vegetables are loaded with enzymes,
but as already discussed, when we cook food, the
enzymes are destroyed.

An Experiment
Years ago, when I first learned about the
importance of digestive enzymes, I tried an
experiment that Jon Barron recommends.

I made two bowls of oatmeal. In one bowl, I mixed

one digestive enzyme. In the other bowl, I did not.
I waited about an hour and then checked both
bowls of oatmeal. What I found was astonishing!
The bowl with no enzymes was so thick that I
literally turned it upside down and nothing
happened. It was stuck to the bowl and thickly
coagulated. However, the bowl with the enzymes
was actually “digested” and was almost liquid! My
question is this:

Which oatmeal would you rather have work

through your body? The one that stuck to the bowl
like cement, or the one that was liquid like gruel?

3 
Serrapeptase, a proteolytic (protein-digesting)
enzyme present in the intestine of silkworms, is
sometimes referred to as the “super enzyme.” The
theory is that the enzymes extracted from the
bacteria present in the intestine of silkworms are
capable of dissolving dead tissue without having
any harmful effect on the user’s living cells. This is
how these enzymes dissolve the cocoon of
silkworms which makes them capable of
transforming into adult moths.
Serrapeptase suppresses the growth of “brady-
kinin” (a group of compounds which bind to the
spot of inflammation), thus it is able to reduce
inflammation and pain. It also reduces the
accumulation of “fibrin” in the body, which, as a
result, reduces the chances of blood clots and
arterial plaque.
Fibrin, a byproduct of proteins, is responsible in
the formation of blood clots. If someone already
suffers from blood clots, serrapeptase is able to
dissolve them. In addition to blood clots,
serrapeptase also digests cysts, arterial plaque,
scar tissue, and inflammation in all forms.
The late German physician, Dr. Hans Nieper, used
serrapeptase to treat arterial blockage in his
coronary patients. Serrapeptase protects against
stroke and is reportedly more effective and quicker
than EDTA chelation treatments in removing
arterial plaque.
4 
Depleted Enzymes
America is an obese nation. The CDC states that
one out of every three Americans is considered
obese (i.e., weighs 30% more than his normal
weight). Ever wonder why? Well, part of it is that
we are a nation of gluttons and sluggards. Self-
control is considered passé.
However, part of the reason for America’s obesity
is the fact that our diet typically is 90% cooked
foods. Hog farmers learned a long time ago that
hogs get fat twice as fast if they are fed cooked
food. Cooking destroys what? You got it …
enzymes.
When you were young, you had an abundant
supply of enzymes. You felt great, and your
energy level seemed limitless. You had “enzymes
to burn” which kept you running at tip top
efficiency. However, over the years, slowly but
surely your enzymes were depleted. Most likely
you didn’t even notice your energy and vigor
waning until one day something you once loved to
do was suddenly too much work.
This is why enzyme supplementation is so
vitally important. My wife and I take a daily
enzyme supplement called Vitalzym, which is a
proprietary blend of systemic enzymes (including
proteases, lipase, amylase, bromelain, papain,
and serrapeptase).
The Bottom Line
Remember that as we age, our “enzyme reserves”
are slowly but surely being depleted, so when our
diet consists of over 90% processed, cooked
foods with no enzymes, we are eating for a shorter
and less-than-healthy life. This points back to the
importance of eating raw fruits and vegetables
because they are “live foods.” The more enzymes
you get, the healthier you are. And the more raw
foods you eat, the more food enzymes you get.
Also remember that regular supplementation with
digestive enzymes takes stress off the pancreas
(and the entire body) by providing the enzymes
required for digestion. In other words, digestive
enzyme supplements just may be one of the
best insurance policies you can give your
body so you can enjoy a long and healthy life.