Enzymes, Part I: Digestive Enzymes

Author: Leticia Celentano Time for reading: ~1 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

In this article, learn more about Enzymes, Part I: Digestive Enzymes. What are enzymes, what function do they perform and how are they broken down?.

Enzymes are made up of amino acids and are protein compounds whose main function is catalytic - they accelerate natural biochemical reactions in the human body. As catalysts they are responsible for all the processes of human metabolism and without them life would be unthinkable.

Each cell contains literally thousands of enzymes, and those in the digestive system are closely specialized in breaking down nutrients.

The human body produces many different digestive enzymes, whose activity begins with the ingestion of food - enzymes are present in saliva, as well as all the way that food passes to the small intestine, where even the smallest food molecules are broken down. At each step, specific enzymes break down a certain type of food.

Enzymes are also present in ingested food, which is why it is important to know their different types. Heat treatment of food often destroys most of them, which puts the full burden of digestion on the enzymes present in the body. This puts a lot of stress on the digestive system, which can not always compensate for the lack of enzymes ingested with food. Excessive stress on digestion can greatly reduce its effectiveness and prevent important nutrients from being absorbed by the body.

Different types of food require different enzymes to be broken down and digested effectively. The three main groups of digestive enzymes are those responsible for breaking down fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

Lipases are an enzyme group that breaks down fats from foods such as olive oil, vegetable oil, fish oil, various types of dairy products - cheese, butter, yogurt, and those from meat.
Proteases break down proteins found in meat, nuts, dairy and cereals.
Carbohydrases break down sugars, polysaccharides, starch and fiber from fruits, vegetables, grains and more.

No matter what foods are consumed, a person's menu is always made up of proteins, fats and carbohydrates . Digestive enzymes break down these ingredients into smaller and smaller components, aiming to minimize the amount of undigested food entering the colon and maximize the extraction of nutrients from the food into the blood before it leaves the body.

The next part of the material will be devoted to the digestive enzyme lactase , lactose tolerance and why some people have an intolerance to dairy products.

Enzymes, Part I: Digestive Enzymes

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