Enzymes are essential for many body functions and digestion is the key area where enzymes play a very important part. Enzyme deficiency can cause digestive problems which in turn give rise to health issues. If these are ignored for a long time, it can lead to serious complications later. Constipation, heartburn, diarrhoea and bloating are caused when there is no proper digestion. Taking care of the food that you eat is the simplest way to prevent digestive disorders and ensuring that the enzymes in your body work to its optimal perfection.
Knowing enzymes
Enzymes are nothing but proteins and are secreted by the body to aid in its different functions. They act as catalyst in the functioning of the bodily functions.
Enzymes and digestion
The digestive process starts the minute you put your food into your mouth and chews it. The first enzyme to act on the food is ptyalin, which is present in the saliva. Digestion is the process where the nutrients present in the food that we eat are absorbed by the body. The food that we eat cannot be absorbed directly. Hence the enzymes break down the food into substances that can be easily absorbed. First, the starch is broken down into sugars, and once the food reaches the stomach, the gastric enzymes take over. Different gastric enzymes perform different tasks. For example, lipase enzyme helps in the breaking down of fats, pepsin works on proteins, amylase works on starch and gelatinase is the enzyme which helps in the breakdown of meats. Pancreatic enzymes or enzymes in pancreas, helps in further breaking down of food and separates amino acids and fats.
Fat digestion is carried out by enzymes such as lipase, present in pancreas, cholesterol esterase and another enzyme called phospholipase. These enzymes with the help of lipolytic enzymes, help in the smooth digestion of cholesterol and fats. Liver also secretes an enzyme called bile, which speeds up the process. Once the food enters the small intestine, more enzymes jump into action to digest any undigested food left. The absorption of nutrients takes place in the small intestine, which happens through the intestinal mucosa and then the most important process of transportation of nutrients through blood to different cells occurs.
Deficiency of enzymes
In a healthy person, all the enzymes needed for digestion are naturally present. But in today’s lifestyle, where there is a lot of consumption of processed and junk food, digestive disorders have become a common ailment. The best way to combat such problem is to consume healthy food such as raw salad and other food which is easy to digest. High temperature destroys the natural enzymes present in food and this food are then hard to digest.
Thus, it has to be understood that we cannot push the whole function of digestion into the enzymes present in our body. We should also ensure that the food that goes into our digestive system is healthy and nutritious. Too many processed foods can create havoc in the digestive system and can cause serious disorders in the long run.
