Breaking down food into nutrients, eliminating toxins, producing energy: your body is a bundle of chemical reactions made possible by chemical transformers called enzymes. In fact, enzymes' potent effects on health led Edward Howell, MD, known as the father of enzyme research, to call these powerful proteins "the Sparks of Life." That's why helping your enzymes help you is essential to your well-being.

Molecular Engineers
Each enzyme in your body is an intricately folded protein molecule designed for one job, and one job only-for example, splitting starch molecules in the baked potato you ate for dinner into sugar molecules that can then be absorbed into your bloodstream. The thousands of chemical transformations that occur every minute require, not surprisingly, thousands of enzymes.
Enzymes are:
• Produced in cells: Muscle cells make enzymes in order to move; the immune system uses enzymes to zap infectious invaders; the liver detoxifies unwanted chemicals with enzymes. (You might be familiar with liver enzymes, which are measured during the blood test that's done as part of a standard physical exam.)
• Produced in the digestive tract: Enzymes in your mouth begin the digestive process; enzymes secreted by the pancreas enter the small intestines, where they take part in the breakdown of food. The body produces 22 digestive enzymes in total.
• Consumed in food: The hundreds of enzymes in raw fruits and vegetables help stimulate digestion. They are absent from cooked food, since heat destroys enzymes.
All those transformations also underline the fact that enzymes act as catalysts, or substances that speed up biochemical reactions. Enzymes' catalytic functions are vital to health, given the fact that your body's systems are hard at work day and night 365 days a year.

Pep Control
When enzymes lose their pep, energy and health both flag. " The length of life is inversely proportional to the rate of exhaustion of the enzyme potential of an organism," Dr. Howell notes in his book Enzyme Nutrition (Avery). He points out that, unfortunately, "the last 100 years have seen a dramatic change in our food supply. The refining and...processing of food...have rendered the modern diet enzyme deficient due to the effective destruction of the enzymes in food."

If your diet lacks enzyme-rich, raw fruits and vegetables and, instead, is filled with refined foods that lack enzymes, your body may have to struggle to produce enough enzymes to make up the difference. Then, if you are exposed to environmental toxins, which necessitate the further production of enzymes to detoxify pollutants, even more work is created for your liver and pancreas as they struggle to produce an adequate enzyme supply. Adding raw foods to your diet can help bolster your enzyme supplies.

Enzymatic Help
Every time you eat, your digestive enzymes go into action. As food traverses the digestive tract, different classes of enzymes enable the breakdown of various types of nutrients:
• Proteases dismantle protein from meat, dairy and beans into smaller molecules.
• Amylases convert starches and carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables, dairy and beans into simple sugars.
• Lipases break down fat from both plants and animals into their component fatty acids.
• Cellulases break down plant fiber.
When your supply of digestive enzymes runs low, digestion stalls and you encounter the digestive blahs: gas, bloating, heartburn and bowel irregularity.

If that happens, some outside help may be in order. Supplements made from plant-based enzymes are gaining popularity, thanks to research that supports their benefits. The absorption of various types of protein may be enhanced by protease made from kiwi, bromelain from pineapple and papain from papaya.

What's more, the benefits of supplemental digestive enzymes go beyond improving digestion. According to Dr. Howell, taking supplements "allows the body to devote its attention to supplying more metabolic enzymes for use by the organs and tissues to carry on their functions, provide repairs and bring about cures."

Taking bromelain supplements supports the body's efforts to limit inflammation and pain while reducing discomforts linked to both osteoarthritis (the wear and tear kind) and rheumatoid arthritis (the immunity overdrive kind). Recently, researchers found that bromelain can significantly reduce knee pain and improve the general well-being of arthritis sufferers and that this enzyme is as good as a prescription drug for reducing arthritic inflammation (Phytomedicine 12/02, Clinical Rheumatology 7/24/04).

Bromelain's anti-inflammatory effects go beyond joint health. In one study, it reduced the inflammation associated with asthma (American Association of Naturopathic Physicians meeting 9/04).

Dairy Distress-And Relief
For some people, consuming milk in any form is a bad idea. These unfortunate folk suffer from lactose intolerance; their bodies lack lactase, the enzyme necessary to break down milk sugar. Without lactase, ingesting milk, ice cream, cheese or other dairy products may cause nausea, cramps, bloating, gas, headaches and diarrhea.

Lactose intolerance is one of the most prevalent enzyme deficiencies: anywhere from 30 to 50 million Americans are missing lactase. This condition is particularly widespread among Americans of African or Asian descent.

Fortunately, taking supplemental lactase or consuming fermented dairy foods can ease the problems of lactose intolerance. Fermented foods like yogurt and kefir have been aged and altered with beneficial bacteria similar to the friendly microbes that live in the human digestive tract.

Drinking kefir in particular has been shown to reduce digestive distress (Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2003). This fermented drink contains not only a multitude of friendly bacteria but also enzymes that further aid the absorption of lactose.

" Both kefir and yogurt improve lactose digestion simply because some of the bacterial cells give up their lives in the intestinal tract, release their enzymes and digest the lactose," says Steven Hertzler, PhD, a professor of medical dietetics at Ohio State. "[K]efir has additional microorganisms that may be able to colonize the intestines and benefit health further by protecting the intestine against disease-causing bacteria."

Other recommended fermented foods include sauerkraut, miso (an aged soy condiment), pickles, kimchi (a fermented Korean vegetable dish available in many variations) and sourdough bread. According to Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions (New Trends), fermented foods should be eaten in modest quantities to maintain the optimum balance of microorganisms in your digestive tract.

Enzymatic Friends
Our bodies receive microbial assistance in producing enzymes. Beneficial bacteria that dwell in our intestines boost immunity and release enzymes that speed digestion.

Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) have found that when you eat plenty of dietary fiber from fruits and vegetables you keep these bacteria healthy, productive and well-fed. When these bacteria thrive, they produce enzymes in the colon that take apart cellulose. Without the enzymes from these bacteria, you miss out on nutrients that leave the body unabsorbed. As researcher Vadivel Ganapathy, MD, of MCG puts it, "You need to eat dietary fiber to provide the food for bacteria. Otherwise, they are not going to survive there."

Another way to help your enzyme-producing microbes is to fortify their numbers. Probiotic supplements can aid digestion and boost overall health.

While the workings of the body's intricate enzyme systems are often difficult to understand, their importance to good health is easy to grasp. In Dr. Howell's view, "Since good health depends on...enzymes doing an excellent job, we must make sure that nothing interferes with the body making enough of them."

Eat more raw foods. Indulge in yogurt and kefir. And then observe the benefits for your well-being.