Digestive Enzymes

Lactase: Lactase is produced in the human intestine. This enzyme turns lactose into absorbable sugar. Without lactase enzymes, humans couldn’t digest dairy products.

Amylase: This enzyme, made in your pancreas and found in human saliva, starts the digestion process as soon as you begin chewing your food. Its primary function is to digest starch and convert it to sugar.

Amyloglucosidase: This enzyme converts starch to dextrins and glucose.

Cellulase: This enzyme breaks down cellulose and converts it to beta-glucose. Humans cannot generate cellulase on their own. Since humans can’t produce cellulase, when we eat fibrous plants, the cellulose from the plants is digested by the large intestine through a fermentation process. Much of the plant fibers are left unabsorbed and then excreted from the body.

Protease: Protease is important for digestion of proteins, converting proteins into amino acids. Protease enzymes are located in the stomach, intestinal, and pancreatic juices

Lipase: Lipase helps break down fats so they can be absorbed by the intestines. Lipase is produced by the pancreas, but can be found in the mouth in saliva, in the stomach. and even in the liver.

For more information about enzyme supplementation, please see the link below:

http://www.altmedrev.com/publications/13/4/307.pdf

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/Anatomy/your-digestive-system/Pages/anatomy.aspx