What Do Digestive Enzymes Do?

You might be wondering, as the next person does, what do digestive enzymes do. Probably you have been hearing so many good things about enzymes nowadays. Enzyme supplements are gaining a huge following, indeed. But why? What do digestive enzymes do to merit such?

Well, enzymes for digestion, for one thing, process the food that you eat. These enzymes, such as amylase, lipase, and protease, are necessary in the complete digestion of carbohydrates and sugars, fat, and proteins, respectively. The enzymes specifically break down these foods into smaller particles so they can be more easily absorbed by the body.

But this does not eliminate the need to chew your food thoroughly. A lot of people take this for granted, without realizing that it is the act of chewing that starts the digestive process. Chewing your food requires saliva, and saliva, besides having plenty of beneficial enzymes, propels the food down into the digestive system. Aside from that, chewing already breaks the food so the digestive system will no longer have as much difficulty absorbing them. The digestive system will not require the pancreas to work double in producing twice as much digestive enzymes as necessary to break the food down. If you overwork your pancreas every single day, the time will come when it will lose its effectiveness, and many disorders, diabetes and pancreatitis included, can happen as a result.

Needless to say, digestive enzymes ensure the complete digestion of carbohydrates, fat, and proteins, is necessary in order to prevent stomach discomforts, such as bloating, feeling of fullness, constipation, and diarrhea. At the same time, it also keeps the colon clean. And if there is one thing you absolutely have to avoid it is a clogged colon. Besides it not being a good indication of a healthy digestive system, it can lead to more health problems that can be debilitating and fatal in many cases. Colon cancer can in fact result from a clogged colon.

Having two or three bowel movements a day keeps the colon clean, but your stools have to be well-formed, not watery; they should not be hard, either. And they must not come with a pungent odor. Stools that stink mean that there are foods that have not been digested completely. This may suggest the presence of toxins still in your system, and these toxins can wreak havoc to your other organs.

Stinking stools are not normal, and this should prompt you to look further into the reason why. Start with how you eat and what you eat. Are you a fast eater? Do you tend to swallow big chunks of food instead of sitting down at table for thirty minutes at least in order to have a proper meal? And what is your diet composed of? Are you fond of eating processed foods? Well, the sad thing is, there are no enzymes that process foods with preservatives and chemical additives.

And now that you know what do digestive enzymes do, having sufficient enzymes for digestion, along with the right diet, must be your priority.