What Are Digestive Enzymes?

Understanding what we can eat and what we can’t eat is something we have down once we’re teenagers. What we don’t know when we’re teenagers is that with the help of digestive enzymes we could eat more of the foods that we once thought we’re no-no’s and also boost the overall health of our bodies going forward. Enzymes are proteins that facilitate specific chemical reactions.

Digestive enzymes facilitate the chemical breakdown of food into smaller, absorbable components. Enzymes called amylases break down starches into sugar molecules; proteases break down proteins into amino acids; and lipases break down fat into its component parts.

We eat food, but our digestive system doesn’t absorb food, it absorbs nutrients. Food has to be broken down from things like steak and broccoli into its nutrient pieces: amino acids (from proteins), fatty acids and cholesterol (from fats), and simple sugars (from carbohydrates), as well as vitamins, minerals, and a variety of other plant and animal compounds. Digestive enzymes, primarily produced* in the pancreas and small intestine, break down our food into nutrients so that our bodies can absorb them.

Eating a healthy well-balanced diet is the foundation for our optimal health. In the fast paced world we live in, it can be difficult to prepare one healthy meal – let alone three of them a day. The healthier the foods are that we eat, the easier it will be for our bodies to digest them and extract the nutrients it needs for us to maintain optimal health. Yet if we skip meals or eat unhealthy meals – an occasional splurge is to be expected – we need to know that in order for our body to work for us, it needs our help. The digestive tract is a complex system and sometimes regardless of what we eat, it needs some help.

Having to suffer with a digestive disorder can disrupt our entire life. A digestive disorder can make us feel anxious about going out in public – never knowing when we may have to use the restroom, always looking to see where the restroom is and mentally estimating how long it would take to reach it if need be. It is disheartening to pull our favorite dress or suit out of the closet to find that we are so bloated we will not be able to wear it to a special event. The fear of embarrassing ourselves, spouses/partner and child at a school function because of the gas – especially if it is expelled in an unflattering way.

Digestive problems can cause as many emotional disturbances in our life as the physical ones can. Oftentimes people who are not plagued by digestive problems do not understand why we may pass gas in public, or accidentally bump into someone in a mad dash to the restroom. These events can cause us to miss out on a lot of great things in life – but they don’t have to. With the proper care and support from our healthcare practitioner and a commitment to ourselves – we can lead normal, happy and healthy lives.