Enzymes It is important to concentrate on working to control the controllable, the rest will happen anyway. It is probable that 50% of what we learn and know today will change within 5 years as we travel along life s path constantly researching and questioning. The Proventus Project was founded by a group of people who are themselves experiencing chronic, progressive, debilitating conditions.
Enzymes Vital to health, they change the rate at which chemical reactions happen without any external energy source being added or by being changed themselves. Enzymes are reaction specific, and will only act on certain substances known as substrates. These reactions could be for the substrate to bond to the enzyme, or different substrates bonding together, or for the substrate to be broken up into different products. Other types of enzymes can put atoms and molecules together. Breaking molecules apart and putting molecules together is what enzymes do, and there is a specific enzyme for each chemical reaction needed to make the cell work properly. Enzymes are classified into several categories: Hydrolytic enzymes break down substances into simpler compounds. Oxidizing enzymes (or oxidases) assist with oxidizing reactions and reducing enzymes, which speeds up reduction where oxygen is removed. Food enzymes are divided into seven categories: Breaking down Starch - Amylase page 1 Breaking down Fibre - Cellulase page 2 Breaking down Dairy - Lactase page 2 Breaking down Fats - Lipase page 3 Breaking down Grain - Maltase page 3 Breaking down Proteins - Protease page 3 Breaking down Sugars - Sucrase page 3 Enzymes are specialised protein molecules facilitating most of the body's metabolic processes such as: Supplying energy. Digestion. Purifying the blood. Eliminating body waste products. Enzymes are divided into two main groups: Metabolic enzymes. Digestive enzymes. Without enzymes the best nutritional plan will fail. Although enzymes are found in small quantities, they are extremely powerful and are involved in actions such as: Lowering cholesterol. Cleansing the colon. Breaking down fats. Strengthening the immune system. Detoxifying the body. Building muscles from protein. Eliminating carbon dioxide from the lungs. Nearly all cell respiratory processes require enzymes. A shortage of enzymes in the body will influence the health of the entire body, and symptoms may include: Stomach gas. Indigestion. Bloating. Heartburn. Flatulence. Enzymes are sensitive to heat as well as their ph environment. Food processing kills of enzymes. Heavy metals, dehydration and ultra-violet radiation impair their functions. Enzymes do not attach to living cells, but will digest proteins in dead cells. Enzymes are unable to pass through the cell membrane of a living cell, but when the cell dies the membrane loses its ability and the enzyme may then act upon it. Food sources - Raw food, eaten in its original state copyright PBBranch2012 all rights reserved. Page 1
Amylase - A group of enzymes which break down sugars and starches. It is required to digest carbohydrates (polysaccharides) into smaller units (disaccharides), and eventually converting them into even smaller units (monosaccharaides). Optimum ph for Amylase: Amylase found in saliva has an optimum ph around 5.6 Amylase from the pancreas has an optimum ph around 7.0 Ptyalin - amylase found in the saliva begins polysaccharide digestion in the mouth and the process is completed in the small intestine by amylopsin - amylase excreted by the pancreas. Note - If the diet is excessively high in carbohydrates, a deficiency of amylase may occur. Carbohydrates are an energy rich food source. Amylase is thought to have played a key role in human evolution in allowing humans an alternative to fruit and protein. A duplication of the pancreatic amylase gene developed independently in humans and rodents, further suggesting its importance. Deficiency symptoms may occur such as: Skin rash. Depression. Mood swings. Hypoglycemia. Allergies. General fatigue. Cold hands and feet. Inflammation. Aches. It is also involved in anti-inflammatory reactions such as those caused by the release of histamine and similar substances. These inflammatory reactions usually happen to organs which are in contact with the outside environment. These include skin problems such as psoriasis, eczema, hives, insect bites, allergic bee and bug stings, atopic dermatitis, and all types of herpes as well as some lung problems including asthma and emphysema. It is also involved in digesting and getting rid of dead white blood cells (a nicer name for pus) and for this reason you might be more prone to abscesses if you are deficient in this enzyme. Cellulase enzymes digest cellulose fibre, and aids in malabsorption. The cellulase enzymes catalyse the hydrolysis of cellulose fibre tocellobiose (a simpler cellulose chain). Cellulase enzymes are present in intestinal bacteria. The cellulase enzymes break cellulose fibre down to beta-glucose (blood sugar). Cellulose fibre is poorly digested and has little nutritional value; however, they are very important for the structure of cell membranes.the cell membrane is a most important part of the cell. The cell membrane separate vital chemicals and structures needed to protect the cell from the environment, which may contain free radicals, chemicals, and structures that are harmful to the cell. They also help regulate the types and amounts of molecules pulled from the surrounding environment into the cells. Lactase is essential for digestive hydrolysis of lactose in milk. Deficiency of the enzyme causes lactose intolerance. Enzymes within the body are utilised to break down milk sugars or disaccharide lactose. Without this enzyme functioning, the human body cannot break down and properly utilize milk sugars. Lactase is part of the beta galactosidase family of enzymes that are hydrolases by nature. copyright PBBranch2012 all rights reserved. Page 2
Human beings produce lactase beginning in their infancy in order to facilitate the ingestion of a mother's milk. Normally the production of lactase would cease after infancy, however milk in many forms is readily available and actively promoted for consumption. This has changed the duration of lactase production in the body to many years past the intended biological cycle in infancy. Lactase activity, like many other enzymes, serves as a catalyst within living organisms to facilitate the breakdown of complex sugars that the body can t use, into simple sugars that the body can use. This lactase reaction occurs within the small intestine along its tissue walls. The condition of lactose intolerance literally means milk sugar intolerance. The effect of milk sugar introduced into digestive tract of someone with lactose intolerance is that of severe digestive discomfort including symptoms of bloating, stomach pain and diarrhoea. The condition of lactose intolerance is not really one of biological disorder, as evolutionarily speaking humans are only meant to digest milk fats as infants. The most pertinent lipases within the human body are: Human pancreatic lipase. Hepatic lipase. Endothelial lipase. These are secreted in the pancreas, liver and blood vessels respectively? There are over 10 lipases that serve various cellular activities within the human body. These enzymes are secreted inside cells and outside cells in interstitial space. The breakdown of fat molecules (lipids) is integral to the functioning of the human body. Cellular walls are composed of lipids acquired from lipase and complex lipid bio reactions. The simple function of cells existing within a human would be impossible without this enzyme. Simple lipids are also used as dietary source throughout the body for everyday cellular functioning. Without lipase, these simple lipids would not exist and would be much harder to transport throughout the body for utilisation. Järvelä I, Torniainen S, Kolho KL (2009). "Molecular genetics of human lactase deficiencies". Ann. Med. 41 (8): 568 75 Lipase is a water-soluble enzyme used to assist in breaking down complex food molecules into simpler forms for digestion. This enzyme is produced in the body and has no source from food. Lipase is in and of itself not a single enzyme but rather a group of enzymes differentiated by their internal source. Each lipase acts to breakdown nutritional fat molecules at specific molecular positions along the fat molecule's atomic structure. These enzymes aid in the body's absorption of these nutritional fats while in their respective complex molecular forms. Maltase is an enzyme that is the catalyst in the hydrolysis of disaccharide maltose to the simple sugar form - glucose, and is found in plants, bacteria, yeast; and in humans. Although the enzyme can be ingested in the diet, it is thought to be able to be manufactured in the body by the mucus membrane lining in the intestinal wall. When starch is eaten, it is partially digested and transformed to maltose by both the saliva enzymes and pancreatic enzymes called amylases. The maltase secreted in the intestines, converts maltose into more ready usable sugar glucose, or alternatively the glucose could also be stored in the liver for future use. Maltase works at breaking down grain. For example, the sugar maltose is made from two glucose molecules bonded together. The enzyme maltase is shaped in such a way that it can break the bond and free the two glucose pieces. The only thing maltase can do is break maltose molecules, but it can do that very rapidly and efficiently. copyright PBBranch2012 all rights reserved. Page 3
Protease enzymes (also termed peptidase or proteinase) break down proteins. A protease is any enzyme that conducts proteolysis, that is, begins protein catabolism by hydrolysis of the peptide bonds which link amino acids together in the polypeptide chain forming the protein. Found in the stomach, pancreatic, and intestinal juices. The protease enzymes are also referred to as proteolytic enzymes, both endopeptidases (e.g., pepsin, cathespins, and papain) and exopeptidases (e.g., carboxypeptidases aminopeptidases, dipeptidases.) There is no such thing as failure; if what you are doing isn t working take a step back and then try another approach Feedback is important, if one person can do something, anyone can learn to do it or perhaps learn to do it another way. The protease enzymes are said to help: Improve blood circulation. Prevent abnormal blood clotting. Reduce pain and inflammation associated with Phlebitis. Alleviate the pain, inflammation, and discomfort of varicose veins. Minimize muscle pain that occurs after exercise. Minimise the inflammation and pain associated with Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Alleviate the symptoms of Sinusitis. Alleviate (reverse) Oedema. Protease enzymes may be helpful for people with food allergies. Sucrase a number of enzymes that catalyse the hydrolysis of sucrose to fructose and glucose. Sucrase is synthesised in the small intestine by the brush border, and secreted by the tips of the villi epithelium, particularly in the duodenum. copyright PBBranch2012 all rights reserved. Page 4