ENZYMES

Enzymes are protein molecules, and each of the different kinds is made up of a string of amino acids. There may a chain be several hundred amino acids strung together to form an enzyme, with the structure or the way the amino acids are strung together, unique for that particular kind of enzyme. The structure of amino acids determines the function, the carrying out of a specific chemical reaction, each enzyme is to perform. If we are lacking certain enzymes, it means there are chemical reactions that should be taking place in our body that are not taking place, and we can become very ill as a consequence. All the work that is done inside of each cell in our body, plus the building of new cells, is done by enzymes. Each kind of enzymes has certain specific tasks to carry out, and we need most all of them just to survive. Without certain enzymes we couldn't even exist. Enzymes are also the reason we're able to digest the foods we eat. Without enzymes, food could not be digested, and we would get no energy for the food as a result. Certain digestive disorders can be traced to a lack of one or more, usually more, different kinds of enzymes. Enzymes exist at the molecular level however, so plenty of them can fit into a very tiny space.

Enzyme activity can be affected by other molecules

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Inhibitors are molecules that decrease enzyme activity. (Many drugs and poisons are enzyme inhibitors) Activators are molecules that increase activity. Activity is also affected by temperature, chemical environment (e.g., pH), and the concentration of substrate.

Some enzymes are used commercially, for example, in the synthesis of antibiotics. In addition, some household products use enzymes to speed up biochemical reactions (e.g., enzymes in biological washing powders break down protein or fat stains on clothes; enzymes in meat tenderizers break down proteins into smaller molecules, making the meat easier to chew).

TYPES OF ENZYMES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

Three Basic Types of Enzymes Metabolic Enzymes - are devoted to energy production in the cells of our body, and at the same time act as detoxifying agents. Metabolic enzymes, produced within the body make up our total being, in that without this type of enzyme we could not hear, see, feel, move, or even think. The metabolic enzymes are produced within the walls of each cell, though several of our vital organs play a role in their production. Digestive Enzymes was produced within our body, enable food to be broken down into its constituent nutrients. The nutrients can then be passed into the bloodstream and what is not used is passed on as waste. Different enzymes help in the digestion of different types of foods. One of the digestive enzymes, cellulase, necessary to process cellulose, is not produced in our body, which is why we get little nutrition from eating grass. We have to rely on the enzymes from the grass itself, which are generally not sufficient for our needs. Food Enzymes - Enzymes contained in raw food help us to digest that particular kind of food, but in general do not help in the digestion of any other foods. Cooking destroys the food enzymes, which is one reason why raw food is generally better for us than cooked food. Digestive enzymes produced in our body will allow cooked food to be digested, but not to the degree possible once the food enzymes have been destroyed. When food enzymes are destroyed, it is harder for our digestive system to break down fats, protein, and carbohydrates.

SUPPLEMENTS
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At times it may be necessary to ingest enzyme supplements, usually plant-based enzymes, when suffering from certain digestive disorders. Pepsin, for example is often prescribed for individuals who have problems digesting protein. Propain and bromelain are two plant-based enzyme supplements often prescribed when the metabolic enzymes produced within the body require help in fighting inflammation. Other enzyme supplements are prescribed for other conditions.

SUPPLEMENTS: TYPES OF ENZYMES

The following are the names of enzymes commonly found in oral enzyme supplements or foods.

Many are normally produced by the digestive system. Others are normally eaten in food. Antioxidant enzymes prevent damage by free radicals.

Enzymes That Break Down / Digest Proteins Bromelain Carboxypeptidase Chymopapain Chymotrypsin Elastase Enterokinase Ficin Kallikrein Papain Pepsin Protease Rennin Serratiopeptidase Sfericase Trypsin
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Sucrase Xylanase Enzymes That Break Down / Digest Fats Esterase Lipase
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Enymes From Animal Pancreas - Digest Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Fats Pancreatin Pancrelipase Antioxidant Enzymes Catalase Glutathione peroxidase Peroxidase Superoxide dismutase

Enzymes That Break Down / Digest Carbohydrates and Vegetable Matter Alpha-galactosidase Amylase Beta-gluconase Beta-glucosidase Cellulase Diastase Glucoamylase Hemicellulase Invertase Lactase Lysozyme (also antibiotic and antiviral) Maltase Pectinase Phytase

WHY DOES MOST NAME OF ENZYMES ENDS IN ASE?

Most enzymes break apart, or digest, the substance they affect. (Other enzymes build up substances.) Many enzymes are named for the substance that they break apart, adapted with the ending "ase" to indicate the action. Example,"Proteases" break apart or digest proteins; "lactase" breaks apart or digests lactose.

FOOD SOURCES OF ENZYMES Papaya - Papayas are one of the best natural sources of digestive enzymes. Occurring
naturally in papayas is papain, a proteolytic enzyme, which is extracted and made into an overthe-counter digestive supplement. Jonny Bowden, Ph.D and author of "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth," talks in his book about the healing properties of this fruit in using it for arthritis, pain and to reduce inflammation. Papayas are also high in potassium, fiber and carotenoids, which benefit the eyes.

Green foods - The Muscular Dystrophy Association cites leafy green vegetables as a good
source of enzymes full of antioxidants and a good way to decrease oxidative stress in the body. Bowden specifically points to super green foods such as chlorophyll for their ability to activate enzymes in the body and purify the blood.

Pineapple - Sweet tasting and fragrant, pineapple is just as well known as the papaya for its
ability to aid in digestion and reduce inflammation. Its active ingredient, bromelain, is a good source of enzymes and also extracted to make digestive supplements. Pineapple is packed with fiber and vitamin C, and is low on the glycemic index.

Milk - Raw, unpasteurized, organic milk is packed with vitamins and minerals and one of the
best natural sources of enzymes, according to Dr. Ron Schmid, author of "The Untold Story of Milk: Green Pastures, Contented Cows and Raw Dairy Products." He contends that enzymes are a crucial component in recovering from disease and maintaining health, and that obtaining them from organic sources such as raw milk makes all the difference.

Yogurt - Plain yogurt isn't just an excellent source of "good" bacteria. It's basically fermented
milk and contains many of the same enzymes. Yogurt is antiviral and antibacterial. It protects the digestive system and helps build immunities.

Grape Fruit - Another healthy fruit packed with enzymes, grapefruit has been used as the
basis of diets and found to lower triglycerides associated with high cholesterol. Grapefruit was shown in a study conducted by Dr. Ken Fujioka, researcher at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California, to have the added health benefit of lowering insulin levels and reducing weight.

CHEMICAL REACTIONS OF ENZYMES

1. Oxidation and reduction. Enzymes that carry out these reactions are called oxidoreductases. For example, alcohol dehydrogenase converts primary alcohols to aldehydes.

4. Hydrolysis. These enzymes, termed hydrolases, break single bonds by adding the elements of water. For example, phosphatases break the oxygen-phosphorus bond of phosphate esters:

In this reaction, ethanol is converted to acetaldehyde, and the cofactor, NAD, is converted to NADH. In other words, ethanol is oxidized, and NAD is reduced. (The charges don't balance, because NAD has some other charged groups.) Remember that in redox reactions, one substrate is oxidized and one is reduced. 2. Group transfer reactions. These enzymes, called transferases, move functional groups from one molecule to another. For example, alanine aminotransferase shuffles the alphaamino group between alanine and aspartate:

5. Other hydrolases function as digestive enzymes, for example, by breaking the peptide bonds in proteins. 6. Formation or removal of a double bond with group transfer. The functional groups transferred by these lyase enzymes include amino groups, water, and ammonia. For example, decarboxylases remove CO2 from alpha- or beta-keto acids: Dehydratases remove water, as in fumarase (fumarate hydratase):

3. Other transferases move phosphate groups between ATP and other compounds, sugar residues to form disaccharides, and so on.

Deaminases remove ammonia, for example, in the removal of amino groups from amino acids:

action of glycyl-tRNA synthetase is illustrated in this figure:

7. Isomerization of functional groups. In many biochemical reactions, the position of a functional group is changed within a molecule, but the molecule itself contains the same number and kind of atoms that it did in the beginning. In other words, the substrate and product of the reaction are isomers. Theisomerases (for example, triose phosphate isomerase, shown following), carry out these rearrangements.

http://www.typesofenzymes.org/ http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/SixTypes-of-Enzyme-Catalysts.topicArticleId24998,articleId-24970.html http://www.livestrong.com/article/36656sources-enzymes/

8. Single bond formation by eliminating the elements of water. Hydrolases break bonds by adding the elements of water; ligases carry out the converse reaction, removing the elements of water from two functional groups to form a single bond. Synthetases are a subclass of ligases that use the hydrolysis of ATP to drive this formation. For example, aminoacyl-transfer RNA synthetasesjoin amino acids to their respective transfer RNAs in preparation for protein synthesis; the

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