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"I exercise, eat right, and get plenty of water and rest. I don't drink, or smoke, and yet, I still don't feel that great." Have you ever felt this way, or known a person who has? A general lack or feeling of degraded overall wellness may be a result of enzyme deficiency. Even our skin can suffer the negative effects. So, what are enzymes exactly? In the simplest of terms, enzymes are proteins-a series of amino acids that perform a singular function in any metabolic progression. They speed up chemical reactions that normally would not occur.
In the vast schema of the digestive world, the mouth is very much like a factory running day, swing, and graveyard shifts. The entire purpose of digestion is to maintain nutrients for the body. This is where enzymes come in. The saliva contains enzymes which, in essence, are factory workers engaged in round the clock production. Enzymes work with substrates, and a substrate is the molecule on which an enzyme acts. The substrate binds with the enzyme, and together they work as one finely tuned mechanism. Apart, the enzyme and substrate resemble two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Each enzyme has a unique shape that determines its function, how it is going to fit, and how it will go to work.
From there, the substrate is broken down into a separate product and released from the enzyme site. This process allows the active enzyme site to accept another substrate molecule. This activity is what permits enzymes to take part in the breakdown of food materials into simpler compounds. Scientists have identified more than 2,700 varieties of enzymes and have isolated four main categories of food enzymes in a process called salivary amylase. The result is a progression that is much like a production line in the natural manufacturing plant of our stomachs. An amylase is a digestive enzyme and element of pancreatic juice and saliva needed for the breakdown of long chains of starches.
Once chewing begins, the food is broken and nutrients are released to be used as supplements for the body. The taste buds begin to send a message to the saliva about what is being eaten, and how to break down the starches. Once the food is swallowed, the enzymes in the stomach take over. This process stops the breakdown of starch molecules, and the enzymes in your stomach go into action. Other categories of food enzymes consist of Lipase, which helps break down fat; Protease (proteolytic enzymes) which break down proteins; Cellulase, which helps break down cellulose.
A diet that consists mostly of processed foods, or foods that are cooked, lack enzymes and force the pancreas to work overtime. Maintenance is key here, for there is no extended warranty on the pancreas or any other internal organ. The pancreas begins to work even harder to produce digestive enzymes to finish the job. The body then suffers a lack of the energy needed to reinforce the immune system that fights disease and repairs body parts.
So, how can enzyme deficiency be harmful to our skin? The skin is the most important, and complex organ of all. Think of it as a literal "firewall" that serves to protect our bodies from the harmful elements of the outside world. Free radicals, those little white spots on the skin, can cause damage. Free radicals engage in destructive behaviors with proteins, fats, and nucleic acids that in turn cause changes that can lead to heart disease, cancer, arthritis and other degenerative conditions.
Free radicals initiate damage to DNA, lipids and protein, causing damage to membranes, altering genes and injuring cells. Worse yet, free radicals reproduce, and generate even more free radicals. Unattended, free radicals cause accelerated tissue damage, one of the major contributing factors to the rate and the rigors of aging.
Free radical damage is increased by poor diet, drugs and alcohol, over-exposure to sun, pollution and tobacco smoke. Free radical damage also decreases enzyme activity, which in turn, increases the appearance of wrinkles, age spots, and sagging skin. Is your skin sagging?Take the skin elasticity test. You can do this by simply pulling on a section of skin on the back of your hand. Raise it, then release. The skin fold from where you grabbed hold of it should immediately flatten. If a ridge remains, the skin is aging. Enzymes help with this situation.
How? By penetrating the epidermal layers and shedding dead surface cells, which consequently present the skin with a fresh new elasticity. It is no wonder that today, in the wake of recent knowledge and healthy alternative breakthroughs to skin care, that so many skin care professionals are returning to what nature has so naturally supplied us. Exfoliation also plays a strong role. If we cracked the ol' science book, we would learn that hydrolysis, (the chemical process of decomposition that involves splitting bonds), gives way to proteolytic enzymes. These guys are the catalyses for the destruction and/or dissolving of dead surface cells. Enzyme activity that occurs on the skin clears away dead surface cells, which in turns promotes fresh and new cellular activity.
Our bodies are in a perpetual state of cellular tissue restoration. Proteins, minerals, fats, vitamins, enzymes and other micronutrients all assist with the repairs. The skin is constantly generating new cells and shedding old ones. Adequate protein, whether by natural intake or product form, is essential so tissue repair and growth will be successful and unobstructed. Without protein, the skin cannot build strong healthy collagen foundations.
So, "where do I go, what do I eat, how do I survive?" A sensible diet would consist of fresh fruits, grains and fish for they are very high in antioxidants and Vitamins, A, B, C, and E. Ironically, a more sensible approach to diet is also less-costly than the freeze-dried-fat-free-microwave-it-now-or-eat-it-on-the-run diets that many of us succumb to. In short, enzymes provide us with better health, and provide our bodies with a global sense of wellness. Enzymes: can't live without 'em.