What are Digestive Enzymes?

Natural Sources and Roles of Digestive Enzymes in the Body

Digestive enzymes are essential for our physiology to break down macronutrients like proteins, carbohydrates, and fats into smaller units that can be absorbed and used for energy and building blocks.

Definition

Digestive enzymes help break down proteins, fats, and carbohydrates from complex foods into smaller molecules. These biomolecules are then absorbed and stored as energy fuel. Some foods require digestive enzymes to break down the specific nutrients they contain, while others, like avocados and oranges, are natural sources of digestive enzymes.

What are the Sources of Digestive Enzymes?

Digestive enzymes are present in different specialised glands and organs that participate in digestion and metabolic processes. Salivary glands and cells lining the stomach, pancreas, and small intestine secrete them.

These enzymes are released:

● When we eat

● Smell or taste foods

● Goes through digestive processes

Various health conditions, specifically those that affect the pancreas, can lead to deficiencies in digestive enzymes. The pancreas is the central hub of different digestive enzymes.

What are the Types of Digestive Enzymes?

Each of the many different digestive enzymes targets a specific nutrient and splits it up into absorbable forms.

The most important types of digestive enzymes include:

• Amylase: This enzyme helps in breaking down starches into sugars. Salivary glands and pancreas secretes Amylase.
• Maltase: Maltase is responsible for breaking down maltose into glucose. This glucose is used for energy sources. The small intestine secretes maltase to complete digestion.
• Lipase: Lipase is usually present in the mouth, stomach, and pancreas in large amounts. It is responsible for the breakdown of fats into fatty acids and glycerol.
• Pepsin: Stomach secretes pepsin to break down proteins into peptides or small groups of amino acids. The small intestine absorbs or breaks down those amino acid molecules.
• Trypsin: When a small intestine enzyme activates an enzyme secreted by the pancreas, trypsin forms. Then, it activates additional pancreatic enzymes like Carboxypeptidase A and B.
• Chymotrypsin: This enzyme breaks down peptides into free molecules of amino acids. The small intestine then absorbs these.
• Carboxypeptidase A: It is secreted from the pancreas and splits the peptides into individual amino acids.
• Carboxypeptidase B: This is secreted from the pancreas, breaking the essential amino acids.
• Sucrase: Widely present in small intestines, sucrose is broken down into fructose and glucose. Our body can easily absorb these sugars.

Digestive Enzyme Deficiencies

Various health conditions interfere with the secretion of enough digestive enzymes to digest foods properly. Some are inherited genetic conditions, while others develop over time.

• Lactose intolerance: Lactose intolerance is a common disorder caused by insufficient lactase production in the small intestine.
• Congenital Lactase Deficiency: This is a rare inherited form of lactose intolerance in which newborn babies cannot break down lactose in breast milk. If non-lactose alternatives are not given, they can experience diarrhoea.
• Secondary Lactose Intolerance: This disorder develops if any chronic infection damages the small intestine. Diseases like Celiac disease or Crohn’s disease can affect the intestinal walls.

Digestive enzymes work collectively in our physiology and help in digestion processes. Eating a healthy diet is important for the enzymes to function properly in physiological conditions.