Digestive enzymes break down the foods ingested into smaller particles so that the body can better absorb vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. They control the entire metabolic process and are essential for digesting and absorbing food, producing energy, maintaining healthy function, and clearing toxins from the body. Enzymes may reduce stress in the gastrointestinal tract (GI), help maintain normal pH levels and promote the growth of healthy intestinal flora. Without sufficient enzymes the body cannot break down the food ingested for assimilation.

The human digestive process is very resilient and can adapt itself to many types of food. In spite of that, a large portion of the Western population suffers from some kind of digestive disorder. Gas, bloating, heartburn, constipation, et al. are just some of the digestive maladies that people endure on a daily basis. Stress and medication do play a role, but the main problem is the modern diet.

Enzymes are present in food, however highly processed foods do not contain all the enzymes needed and, even if the foods ingested contain enzymes, these enzymes are destroyed in the cooking process. The modern diet, which consists mostly of cooked and processed food, is devoid of all natural enzymes. This puts an unusual stress on the digestive system resulting in incomplete digestion of food and unabsorbed nutrients.

The pancreas produces enzymes. Studies have shown that the secretion of pancreatic enzymes decreases with age, which means that you lose your digestive capacity, as you get older. Common illnesses, aging, and stress can deplete the body's production of these digestive enzymes. When digestive enzymes decrease, the body's other enzymes (that are critical for proper immune regulation and systemic cellular processes) get pulled from the blood stream into the digestive system. This causes a depletion of the enzymes reserved for other body systems. A depletion of enzymes is a depletion of health. A majority of the population takes some kind of vitamin and mineral supplement to make up for the loss of essential nutrients in food. Incomplete digestion can be overcome by taking supplemental digestive enzymes. Supplemental enzymes help the body properly digest protein, fats, and carbohydrates, which are essential to maintaining overall health. There are three main types of digestive enzymes: protease, amylase and lipase.

Protease is part of a ubiquitous group of enzymes, which carry out the function of breaking down proteins in living organisms. It breaks down food proteins into smaller proteins and amino acids, maximizing digestion. Protease performs a wide variety of functions in the human body. It is involved in digestion, immune response, various cellular and extra cellular functions, regulation and metabolism. For many years protease has been used in oral supplements to relieve digestive discomforts such as bloating, gas, constipation and heartburn. When a deficiency of protease enzyme exists, undigested proteins can pass through the intestinal tract and remain undigested. These have been linked to a low immune response and foreign invaders in the intestinal tract.

Lipase is an enzyme that is used by the body to break down dietary fats into an absorbable form. All cell membranes and other structures are made up of lipids, thus an adequate supply of essential fatty acids in the diet is important to ensure viable cells. Digesting fats and lipids are more difficult since they have to be carried by a water based transport system such as the blood and lymph. A shortage of lipase in the body may lead to high cholesterol, difficulty in losing weight, heart problems etc. With too little lipase, the cell membranes permeability is not at optimum, and nutrients cannot enter the cell, while wastes cannot leave the cell.

Amylase is needed to digest carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are one of the three major food groups needed for proper nutrition. Carbohydrates in food are an important and immediate source of energy for the body. Carbohydrates can be stored in the body as glycogen for future use however, if they are eaten in excessive amounts, the body changes them into fats and stores them in that form. If carbohydrates are not properly broken down before they are absorbed, overall health can be affected.

Bromelain and papain are part of a group of enzymes known as proteolytic or protease enzymes (enzymes capable of digesting protein) Bromelain has been used successfully as a digestive enzyme. It contributes to the digestion of protein, and may therefore be used as a digestive aid, Papain possesses a very powerful digestive action. It softens and digests protein components and has a mild, soothing effect on the stomach. Changes in intestinal alkalinity or acidity do not interfere with the unique digestive activity of papain.

Papain breaks down meat fibers, thereby rendering nutrients available to the digestive process. Papain helps cleanse the tissues and intestinal walls of all waste matter in the form of excessive mucous and dead tissue. Papaya is the only known food containing papain. Since it acts impartially in acid, neutral, and alkaline mediums, it is extremely valuable for anyone who has weak digestion due to enzyme deficiencies.

To quote Dr. Dick Couey, Professor of Physiology and Nutrition at Baylor University, "I will never eat another meal without taking a plant enzyme supplement. My body doesn't deserve that treatment." As long as we eat enzyme deficient food' which is simply defined as any food that has been processed or cooked, our bodies need an enzyme supplement to aid digestion, deliver the nutrients and eliminate the waste. The logical conclusion is that we will need some supplementation for as long as we live and breathe.

Enzymes are destroyed in the stomach once the acid hits them, therefore one should take enzymes 30-60 minutes before a meal so that they're in the stomach ready to go to work when the food arrives. However a unique process called enteric coating protects the enzymes from degrading in the stomach acids. Super Enzymax tablets are enteric coated to achieve the maximum benefits from these enzymes.