Enzymes are the creators of life, the unit of vitality, catalysts of biochemical processes in the body. In short, enzymes (literally translated from Greek as “leaven”) are protein molecules that accelerate chemical reactions in the body. The enzymes contain minerals :
sodium, copper, potassium, iron, nickel, manganese, selenium, magnesium and many others. Let's look at the enzymes in foods and their properties.
Thousands of different protein enzymes continuously work in our body, performing the function of various specific catalysts for the transformation of substances in the body. Only with their help is it possible to renew aged and worn-out cells, convert nutrients into energy and building materials, neutralize metabolic products and substances foreign to the body, protect the body from pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and even heal wounds.
Enzymes are a unique creation of nature. These are very small and smart “biochemists” invisible to our eyes.
It is thanks to the presence of enzymes in a living organism that all chemical processes are carried out, accelerated and controlled. They themselves do not change. This is why enzymes are called biocatalysts. Without enzymes, life is impossible.
Without these substances, the body would not be able to digest food, cleanse itself, or fight infections. You should look for enzymes primarily in fresh plant foods that have not been subjected to heat treatment or refrigeration.
In short, enzymes (literally translated from Greek as “leaven”) are protein molecules that accelerate chemical reactions in the body.
Excursion into history
A short excursion into history: when the first enzyme was isolated.
A synonym for the word "enzyme" is "enzyme". In the 19th century, Louis Pasteur, studying the transformation of carbohydrates into ethyl alcohol under the influence of yeast, came to the conclusion that the fermentation process is catalyzed by a certain vital force located in yeast cells.
The first highly purified crystalline enzyme (urease) was isolated by American biochemist James B. Sumner in 1926.
Enzymes are an extremely important component of any cell, taking part in all chemical processes that occur in living organisms. Do you know how many intangible elements are in food, which we know as enzymes?
Enzymes are found primarily in plant foods - fruits, vegetables, nuts, honey. The weakness of enzymes is that, as already mentioned, they are afraid of both high and low temperatures. Therefore, it is necessary to eat vegetables and fruits raw and remove them from the refrigerator in advance for the enzymes to work.
Our body also has enzymes; they are produced by the pancreas. But if a person deprives himself of plant foods, he forces the pancreas to work hard.
I started thinking about health a long time ago, but I only recently learned about enzymes and realized that I had missed a lot. By knowing what is in the food we eat, we can make conscious choices about what to eat and what not to eat. And we have to make a choice every day.
Unfortunately, a lot has already been thought out for us, and we are left to choose from what is available. For example, I went to the Pyaterochka store today and was again disappointed. All products are divided into healthy, natural (of course, one can argue about their naturalness) and unhealthy, refined, thermally, industrially processed. And I’m always surprised: they make us think it’s food! Among plant products, fruits and vegetables, many are artificially grown, genetically modified, and contain low amounts of nutrients. Truly a sad picture! But of two evils, as they say, you need to choose the lesser. The idea of adequate nutrition, close to the physiology of our body, is close to me. Enzymes, vitamins, minerals and trace elements are the basis of nutrition. If a product is poor in these substances, then it is a useless product. We know a lot about vitamins and microelements. But little has been heard about enzymes. History of the study of enzymes (briefly) Scientists have always been interested in what this or that material consists of. When microscopes were invented, they began to observe what was in nature, including looking at plant leaves through a microscope. We saw cells there and studied their structure. The Brussels chemist Helmont, who lived in the 17th century, while studying digestion, discovered that food undergoes chemical breakdown, which cannot occur without special substances, which he called enzymes (from the Latin word fermentation). In the 19th century, French chemist Louis Pasteur, studying fermentation, discovered that it is not just a chemical process, but that it occurs only in the presence of living microorganism cells. By the way, lactic acid fermentation occurs in the muscles of living organisms when the need for energy is higher than that provided by respiration, and the blood does not have time to deliver oxygen. In 1831, only one enzyme was known in more or less detail. In 1930 there were already eighty of them. In 1984, two and a half thousand enzymes were included in different classes, divisions and subdivisions. In 1993, three thousand enzymes were already recognized. To date, there are 5000 of them. What are enzymes? These are substances that accelerate all biological processes and control biochemical transformations. For example, the folding, arrangement, and systematic repetition of extensive chains of amino acids, which are the unique structure and properties of proteins, occur in the body only thanks to enzymes. Moreover, the enzymes themselves, by their chemical nature, are nothing more than proteins. A complex living organism appears and reproduces only as a result of gradual development, caused by the interaction of complex chains of reactions of very diverse types of enzymes. Our life every second needs renewal or change of more than three thousand enzymes already known to date and many others still unknown. Currently, enzymes are precisely known that constantly provide the necessary blood viscosity, oxygen intake and energy delivery to all tissue cells and participate in metabolism. Our body produces all three thousand, or perhaps much more, enzymes itself. But there is an additional particle called coenzyme, which our body is not able to create. The body receives the building material from which coenzymes are made from food. These building materials are vitamins and microelements. So, for the normal functioning of enzymes, the body must receive sufficient amounts of vitamins and microelements, which are found in vegetables and fruits, nuts, berries and grains (not peeled). For example, zinc is necessary for the construction of eighty types of enzymes. Main properties of enzymes Retain their activity at a temperature of no more than 40 degrees C. Enzymes operating in the human body are most active at the temperature of the human body. At approximately forty degrees Celsius their activity is maximum. With a further increase in temperature, their activity decreases and stops, as the protein molecules of the enzymes coagulate and die.
Enzyme activity decreases as temperature decreases. High speed of enzyme action. The slowest of the enzymes is lysozyme, which helps in destroying bacteria. In one minute, the lysozyme converts thirty molecules of the substrate - thus, two seconds per molecule. The enzyme carbonic anhydrase has the highest speed of action, which within one minute eliminates a fantastic number of substrate molecules - thirty-six million.
High ability of all enzymes to cooperate with each other. If necessary, enzymes are grouped into communities that constantly exchange information with other similar communities. In this way, they maintain harmony between all life processes, which consists in the mutual balance of various systems and in a common effort concentrated in one direction.
Exposure to certain substances can slow down and disrupt the function of some enzymes. For example, some venoms (bee and snake) and medications (aspirin, etc.) are capable of blocking active enzymes, as well as antibiotics, for example, penicillin, or steroids (cortisone) deliberately disrupt the function of certain enzymes by blocking their active centers.
To date, scientists have learned to isolate and synthesize some enzymes and, with their help, influence from the outside many processes that require the intervention of enzymes. However, this is like trying to cure yourself with medication. If we want our bodies to function normally and to feel healthy for as long as possible, we cannot rely on drugs and substances that are artificially designed to restore what we have been destroying over the years due to violation of the natural laws in our body. It is necessary to restore a normal healthy lifestyle, which begins with changing your diet. For the healthy functioning of our body, we need food that is as close as possible to nature, and not to civilization, which has learned to produce refined, industrially processed, canned, artificial food, which is devoid of nutrients, vitamins, microelements that we need so much for the proper functioning of enzymes in our body . Natural plant foods contain all the enzymes we need. The effect of enzymes on the human body
- Enzymes support the body's defense reactions
- Enzymes contribute to our digestion, absorption and cleansing of the body,
- Enzymes are necessary for the proper functioning of the body's defense system (immunity),
- Enzymes allow the body to defend itself by activating macrophages - large predatory cells that can recognize any harmful particle in the body, surround it on all sides, swallow and dissolve it.
- Enzymes help lymphocytes create specific antibodies that neutralize viruses and bacteria.
- Undigested or poorly digested fats lead to cardiovascular disease and excess weight,
- Undigested proteins lead to increased body temperature, depression and cancer,
- Undigested carbohydrates are the cause of allergies, asthma and arthritis.
What reduces enzyme activity and depletes enzymes:
- Injuries,
- Inflammation,
- Prolonged fatigue
- Poisonous and harmful substances,
- Unhealthy diet (fatty, meat, refined, “dead” foods),
- Alcohol,
- Tobacco,
- Medicines,
- Stress and stressful situations,
- Colds, temperature reactions, any illnesses,
- Pregnancy
How to compensate for the lack of enzymes: consume raw fruits, vegetables, freshly squeezed juices, sprouted grains, nuts that have not undergone heat treatment, in moderation. Why a raw food diet helps against diseases .
- The very refusal of harmful products already alleviates the condition.
- A raw food diet is a low-calorie diet that leads to excess weight loss.
- The most important thing about a raw food diet is that fresh, ripe fruits and vegetables are supplied with all the enzymes we need, by receiving which the body recovers and organizes itself.
- Fresh juices taken on time and in sufficient quantities can provide the body with the necessary enzymes in sufficient quantities, which is the key to health at any age.
- With enzymes, wounds heal faster, inflammatory processes occur more easily and end faster, and pathogenic “agents” die in a timely manner.
You may want to start taking enzyme tablets or capsules, or liquid forms of enzymes, but you must remember that natural enzymes - the catalysts of life - cannot be preserved in tablets. It is better to organize your lifestyle so that you do not need “supplements from the pharmacy”, and provide your body with enzymes from “live” plants in their natural form. It is possible that someone (old people, sick people) in extreme situations will have to use pharmaceutical enzymes, but they will never replace the sun, air, water and plant foods rich in enzymes. What are enzymes or enzymes:
- Protease is a protein digestion enzyme.
- Lipase is a fat digesting enzyme.
- Amylase is an enzyme that digests carbohydrates.
- Cellulase is an enzyme that digests fiber.
The pancreas produces 22 enzymes that continue the digestion process in the duodenum, provided the environment is alkaline. Thousands of metabolic enzymes also work in the body. They are involved in breathing, movement, speech, behavior and the immune system. In addition, the human body contains a special type of oxidant metabolic enzymes - they convert free radicals (toxic oxygen) into harmless products: water and oxygen. Enzymes are the magic key to health. After oxygen and water, enzymes are in third place in the relationship in which all the elements that ensure the smooth functioning of our body function. Food enzymes are the most important factor in our diet. And only raw food includes those that are most active. To stay healthy, raw vegetables and fruits, nuts, green leaves, sprouted grains containing natural enzymes, water, mineral salts, vitamins and fiber are essential in our daily diet. Enzymes in products:
- sprouts of seeds and grains
- horseradish
- garlic
- avocado
- kiwi
- papaya
- pineapples
- bananas
- mango
- natural soy sauce (fermented)
- pearl barley
- broccoli
- all types of cabbage
- wheat grass
- wild herbs
- medicinal herbs
- vegetable juices
- berries
And also in all fresh and natural plant products.
Enzymes in products
Action of enzymes in products:
— Sprouted seeds and grains. Each grain contains nutrients necessary for growth.
— Plant products that have undergone fermentation (fermentation). This includes wines and kvass, as well as pickled vegetables and fruits (cabbage, apples, etc.), for which Russian cuisine has long been famous.
— Soy sauce, tofu cheese, miso paste. All these products come from the East; for example, in Japan they are eaten daily. The basis for their preparation is soybeans that have undergone a fermentation process.
- Dill, parsley, coriander. Green enzymes improve digestion and also cleanse the body, making you feel more energetic.
- Onion and garlic. When eaten raw, these vegetables can resist not only viruses, but also cancer. However, heat treatment destroys the enzymes.
— Broccoli and Brussels sprouts.
- Apples.
- A pineapple. This fruit is rich in an enzyme complex called bromelain, which accelerates the breakdown of proteins.
- Banana. Good for digestion, heart function and prevention of depression.
- Avocado, mango, papaya. These fruits should be considered as a treat, and not as the basis of a daily diet.
Papain in cosmetics for enzyme peeling
Papain is an enzyme that is extracted from papaya fruits and then used in the manufacture of cosmetics and medicines. First of all, papain is known in cosmetology as a popular component of enzyme peels and cosmetics intended for gentle cleansing of the skin. Synonyms for papain on cosmetics packaging: Papain, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Concentré de Protéase Végétale, Papaina, Papaïne, Papainum Crudum. Papain can also be "encoded" in formulations such as Pepsine Végétale, Plant Protease Concentrate, Protease, Protéase, Vegetable Pepsin.
Papain: the “star” of enzyme peels 19060
Action of papain in cosmetics
Papain is an enzyme (enzyme) - a biologically active substance that helps accelerate various biochemical reactions, in particular - the breakdown of proteins faster. Due to its effect on proteins, papain is also called “papaya proteinase,” that is, an enzyme that breaks down proteins. This property of papain is effectively used for exfoliation - exfoliation of dead particles of the epidermis, followed by the regeneration of new cells. Papain also acts as a moisturizing component, as it optimizes the water balance of the epidermis. This enzyme stimulates the cellular metabolism of the skin, which is necessary to maintain osmotic balance in the epidermis. It is for this reason that papain is one of the best-known and most sought-after ingredients in enzyme peels. It is believed that papain promotes lymphatic drainage - the removal of excess fluid: thus, eliminating congestion, products with papain relieve inflammation and accelerate healing.
Who is papain indicated for?
In addition to enzyme peels, papain is also used in dermatological practice as an active agent in the treatment of acne and to eliminate various hyperpigmentations. Moreover, cosmetics with papain are especially suitable for the care of sensitive skin. This ingredient is also used in formulations for the treatment of infected wounds, pain, inflammation and post-operative swelling. Papain-containing medications are applied directly to the skin for ulcers, erosions and ulcerations, as well as to accelerate the resorption of hypertrophic scars. In medicine, papain-based products are also widely used for shingles (herpes zoster), psoriasis, as well as various inflammations and even sore throats.
Contraindications and side effects
Papain is a very mild, gentle enzyme, but prolonged contact with the skin can cause irritation and blisters. This component can also provoke allergic reactions, although quite rarely, and increases the permeability of the walls of blood vessels. Interactions: no data available.
Cosmetics with papain
Papain is used to produce skin care cosmetics: these are not only enzyme peels, but also various cleansing products that prepare the skin to “receive” valuable components from creams and serums. This enzyme is especially appropriate as part of lines of anti-aging cosmetics: it gently cleanses and evens out the skin, while simultaneously increasing the bioavailability of products that are applied after the cleansing stage. This ingredient is also added to toothpastes and contact lens cleaners. Papain is also used in hair care products that enhance hair shine. When buying cosmetics containing papain (as well as any other enzymes), you should know that its shelf life is extremely short, since the enzymes are too reactive and quickly oxidize. Products that contain enzymes should be applied to the skin warm (warm in the hands): heat speeds up the breakdown reactions and allows the enzymes to work at full capacity.
Sources of papain
Papaya fruit is a sweet source of beneficial enzymes 18051
This natural proteolytic enzyme is isolated from the fruit of the papaya tree (Carica papaya). As a result, cosmetics manufacturers already use a powdery substance that is soluble in water and glycols and insoluble in oils and ethanol. It is noteworthy that in addition to cosmetics, this enzyme is widely used in the processing of meat products and as a stabilizer in beer.
