Digestive Enzymes and Reasons Why You May Be Suffering a Digestive Enzyme Deficiency
The purpose of digestion is to break complex molecules into smaller, less complex molecules. Digestive enzymes help the process of breaking apart complex macromolecules into easily absorbed molecules.
Digestive enzymes are found in foods and are manufactured in the digestive tract. The enzymes in foods along with the enzymes made in the digestive tract work jointly to help break down the large macromolecures. Modern food processing and manufacturing that heat and pasteurize foods help damage many of the enzymes found in our food.
Each digestive enzyme specializes in breaking apart macromolecules consisting of a certain type. To help classify them, enzymes are grouped in keeping with the varieties of macromolecule they affect. The following are how the groups are classified:
- Proteins: proteases and peptidases
- Carbohydrates (starches and sugars): carbohudrases, amylases break down starch
- Fats and triglycerides: lipases
- Nucleic acids: nucleases
Enzymes produced within the body are found in these areas of the digestive tract:
- oral cavity
- stomach
- small intestine
Some digestive enzymes might not be produced by the body in sufficient amounts to deal with the quantities of foods being consumed.
Possibly the most widely identified deficiency condition is named lactose intolerance. This is the inability to digest a sugar found in milk called lactose. An enzyme, lactase, is required to be produced in the lining of the small intestine. Lactase helps disassemble the lactose sugar into less complex sugars called glucose and galactose that will be absorbed into the bloodstream. But, lactase production declines with age. When you drink milk and do not have enough lactase you will have problems with such symptoms as bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea and nausea.
You can likely guess that other enzymes may also not be sufficient for our food intake. Consequently, you’ll display some symptoms but you likely will not identify the cause. More common symptoms of digestive enzyme deficiency include the following:
- difficulty controlling weight
- anemia
- depression or tiredness
- signs of nutrient deficiency
- swelling
- constipation
- bloating
- skin rashes
- indigestion
- cravings for sugar after eating
- excessive appetite
- diarrhea
You need to be careful if these symptoms are present. They might be a result of an enzyme deficiency or of a more serious disorder. Be certain to consult your family medical professional to obtain an expert opinion in your individual case.
The body’s digestive system has not changed in thousands of years. Yet, our choice of foods has made extreme changes. Today many people consume diets high in fats and carbohydrates which were not available to people in more primitive cultures. Our present diets often contain foods that our ancient digestive process is not capable of fully handling. Accordingly, many of the foods we consume today are not completely digested because the required enzymes are not available in the right proportions. A digestive enzymes supplement may well be needed to restore optimal digestion.
A simple example of our changed diets is the disproportionate amount of sugars we get from manufactured or packaged foods. Various kinds of sugars are found in almost all manufactured foods. We eat far more sugars than our ancestors did. And, often that means that our bodies were not supposed to deal with the amount of sugar we take in. Look, for instance, at the ingredients on a package of cereal. Among the most popular manufactured sugars is high fructose core syrup. And, it’s repeatedly the second or third most prevalent ingredient by weight.
There are lots of reasons for people in today’s world to say they’ve got digestive enzyme deficiencies. If you think you might have a digestive enzyme deficiency you should take some enzyme supplements with every meal.
Tags: Abdominal Pain, Digestion, Digestive Enzyme, Digestive Enzymes, Digestive Tract, Enzyme Deficiency, Enzyme Lactase, enzymes, Food Intake, Galactose, Lactase Production, Lactose Sugar, Macromolecule, Macromolecules, Nucleic Acids, Oral Cavity, Pasteurize, Peptidases, Proteases, Small Intestine, Starches, supplement, Triglycerides