Your body produces over 20 separate digestive enzymes that are
actually proteins; they break down food so that your body can convert
it to energy, relieve certain ailments and discomforts and bolster
your immune system. Your digestive enzymes work hard from the moment
that food enters your mouth. Yes! Once you take a bite of food, your
digestive enzymes set out to break down the meal. The more efficient
that your body is at breaking down your meals, the better your body
works. Therefore, investing in and using a digestive enzyme supplement
is one way to improve your overall well being. Papain is the name of
one digestive enzyme used in the manufacture of a quality digestive
enzyme supplement. It is made from an unripened tropical fruit that
you are probably familiar with: the papaya. The unripened fruit is
crushed and the juice of the green papaya is used to make Papain. This
digestive enzyme supplement ingredient helps proteins create
oligopeptides and amino acids. Papain is thought to have properties
that help reduce swelling and inflammation. Papain is used to assist
with digestion and is also used to make meat tenderizers.
Lipase is another digestive enzyme that is produced in your body.
Lipase works on the fat that you eat; it breaks it down so that your
body can use it. When your body doesn't create enough Lipase to
breakdown the fat, your stools will be greasy looking and very pale in
color. Your body makes Lipase in the pancreas and as with all
digestive enzymes, it also exists in saliva. The pancreas makes
pancreatin which is essentially three digestive enzymes: lipase,
amylase and proteases.
Lipase as a digestive enzyme supplement has been used to
successfully aid in the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis. The benefits
have been documented and it is regularly prescribed by medical doctors
for this ailment. Lipase is also being used to see if it will provide
benefits to patients with indigestion because of pancreas diseases or
the inability of the pancreas to work efficiently.
Perhaps the most beneficial use of Lipase and Papain are for their
tumor fighting effects. Many oncologists prescribe digestive
supplement therapy in addition to standard medical treatment including
chemo therapy for cancer patients. Chemo therapy upsets the stomach
partly because it is so hard on the body and partly because chemo is a
toxin. The body tries to rid itself of the additional toxin, so it
expels any food from the stomach as well. However digestive supplement
therapy increases the body's ability to breakdown nutrients. Further
digestive enzyme supplement therapy is said to have cancer fighting
benefits. Whether this is because it boosts the immune system's
ability to fight tumors or whether the enzymes breakdown the tumors so
that the body can expel them needs to be studied further, but there is
documented success in adding digestive supplement therapy to oncology
patient's treatment regimes.
As with most things in our industrialized world, food is processed
and preserved to the point that many nutrients are lost before the
food is consumed. Once prepared, more nutrients are leeched from your
food, so you have to consider whether or not you are getting the full
benefit of any nutrient. If your meals are lacking in essential
nutrients, like digestive enzyme bolsters, you may have a depletion of
the essential enzymes that are necessary to your health. That is why
you should consider adding a digestive enzyme supplement to your diet.
If you are a frequent flier or have a lot of stress in your life,
your body is being robbed of its supply of digestive enzymes. Thus,
when you are standing in line at the ticket counter after sleeping
through your alarm and getting stuck in traffic, your natural supply
of digestive enzymes is suffering. You can add a digestive enzyme
supplement to your daily routine and increase the efficiency of your
body and your immune system.
If you are pregnant or nursing, you should consult with your family
physician before you take any dietary supplement, including digestive
enzyme supplements.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Ho is chief editor of Nutritional Supplement Info Spotlight, and
an avid enthusiast of alternative and holistic health. Get
unconventional and unique solutions for common health issues, and keep
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