Enzymes to Digest Food

Enzymes help you to digest the food you eat.Taiwan - Food market / Asian Food image by St??phan SZEREMETA from Fotolia.com

Enzymes help our bodies break down the food we eat. In the past, enzymes necessary to break food down were present in the food itself. However, as food became processed and heated to 118 degrees Fahrenheit, those enzymes were devitalized. According to Your Santa Fe Connection for Healthy Living, "If we ate a diet consisting of 75 percent raw foods, supplemental enzymes would not be required." However, thanks to the processed food the average American eats, enzymes are necessary to make digestion go more smoothly.

Protease

Protease is an enzyme that breaks down proteins, helping free the amino acids our body needs. Studies have shown that the use of protease can help shrink or prevent tumors, promote immune regulation and reduce inflammation.

Amylase is an enzyme that breaks starch down into sugar. It is present in saliva and produced by the pancreas, and it can also be found in some plants and bacteria. Amalyse breaks down starch into sugars such as fructose, glucose or compound sugars such as malt sugar, maltose or dextrine.

Lipase is a group of enzymes that can break down fats. Lipases are enzymes that perform essential roles in the digestion, transport and processing of dietary lipids, such as triglycerides, fats and oils.