Section Topics
Enzymes
Signs of Enzyme Deficiency
Enzyme Therapy
Diseases
Aging
Raw Food
The Grand Connection: Minerals, Enzymes and Immunity


Enzymes
Plant enzymes stimulate digestion of proteins (proteases), carbohydrates (amylases), and fats (lipases) in the stomach and bowel. Plant enzymes are also essential for proper digestion. Cellulase (many enzymes end with the letters "-ase"), for instance, helps to break down fiber. Humans do not make cellulase, so it must be obtained from fruits and vegetables, or from supplements. Enzymes are the only substances capable of digesting food. They exist in raw food in order to digest (break down) that food.
Food enzymes in raw food are vital for digesting that food, but their destruction during cooking is a key factor in today's rising levels of allergies and chronic degenerative diseases. Heating food to 118°F (47.78°C) for more than 15 minutes destroys all the enzymes. Obviously then, heating foods at higher temperatures for shorter periods also destroys enzymes. The current technology of "flash pasteurization" of milk and juice is an example.
Enzymes are classified into several groups. Hydrolytic enzymes are the most relevant in clinical nutrition, and they are of three major groups:
1) Digestive enzymes—manufactured by digestive organs to assist in digesting food;
2) Food enzymes—found in all raw, uncooked food;
3) Metabolic enzymes—manufactured by all cells to carry out their respective functions.

Although there are many classes and sub-classes of digestive enzymes, there are four general enzymes considered here:
• Amylase—digests starches, including grains and starchy vegetables;
• Cellulase—breaks down plant fiber;
• Lipase—splits apart fats and oils into fatty acids;
• Protease—breaks down protein into amino acids and small-chain peptides.
Probably the most familiar of the amylases is lactase. People who are lactose intolerant are both deficient in and lack the ability to manufacture this enzyme.

All the above, except cellulase, are manufactured in the human body. Cellulase must come from the plants themselves, which is why it is so important to chew one's food thoroughly. Cellulase is trapped inside the fibre itself and must be liberated in the chewing process—otherwise, one experiences the gas and bloating common to those, especially the elderly, who cannot digest raw foods. Juicing fruits and vegetables also extracts cellulase from the fibre. But the need for plant fibre in a world where many are dependent on laxatives cannot be overstated and may outweigh unnecessary juicing.

All raw, uncooked foods contain the exact types and amounts of enzymes necessary for their breakdown (digestion). Fruit ripening is the consequence of enzymes slowly breaking down the fruit's contents. If it has gone too far before we consume it, we say it is "rotten". There are optimal times when fruit should be harvested and consumed. But due to "shelf life", fruit is picked unripe and left to ripen in the warehouse or grocery store. In this case, the vitamin, mineral and enzyme content is inadequate and not desirable from a nutritional point of view.

Enzymes are the most heat-sensitive nutrients.

Dr. Edward Howell, a noted enzyme researcher reasoned that enzyme-deficient food must force the body to use up metabolic enzymes to digest food. He compared it to a bank account. If you continually drain your resources and never replenish your holdings, at some point you are bankrupt. In the case of enzymes, degenerative disease occurs, with old age following soon afterwards. We are told all the time, "Oh, your symptoms are related to old age; better get used to it". Culturally, this seems true because we have observed it since childhood. We even expect to grow old with the accompanying health issues associated with old age because we have been told so.

Granted, our progression from infancy through adolescence and adulthood involves changes and the appearance of "ageing". But what if there were substances naturally occurring in the food and within our bodies that were responsible for the rate at which we grew older? Dr. Howell equated that the length of life was proportional to the amount of enzymes exhausted in digestion. In other words, one's length of life is influenced by how much our metabolic enzymes are used to digest cooked food. Since enzymes are shifted from their metabolic uses, especially from the immune system, to digest cooked food, we will age faster.

In the 1980s, Dr Roy Walford of UCLA conducted numerous laboratory experiments on animals. He reduced their food intake and found that their length of life extended beyond what was considered normal. He suggested that all one had to do was not eat so much in order to have a healthier and longer life. Walford stated the obvious, but he may have missed the real point.

Dr. Howell found that in fasting there is an increase in available enzymes in the body due to the lack of food, especially cooked food. In the absence of food, the body has more enzymes for repair and healing. As an example, there are approximately 64 different types of enzymes circulating in the blood to clear waste and prevent the build-up of plaque. When the body is short-changed of these enzymes, there will be an unnatural build-up of plaque. Why would there be a lack of these enzymes in the blood? When cooked food is eaten, enzymes for digesting it must be found somewhere in the body. It is here that metabolic enzymes are shifted from their normal functions to the role of digestion, leaving the body primed for future disease.

Signs of Enzyme Deficiencies
Symptoms of mineral and vitamin deficiencies occur relatively quickly.

They are recognized to cause specific illness. Enzyme deficiencies, outside of genetic or birth defects, take longer periods to be noticed and have only begun to be recognized in some circles of the medical community. What, then, are typical signs and symptoms of the more common enzyme deficiencies?

• If you have problems digesting carbohydrates, you may experience airborne-sourced allergies, diarrhea, fibromyalgia or attention deficit disorder (ADD or ADHD).
• If you cannot digest fats, you may experience constipation, gallbladder problems, heart disease or hormone imbalances.
• If you cannot adequately digest protein, you may experience constipation, arthritis or other inflammatory conditions, anxiety or panic attacks, premenstrual syndrome or immune system disorders.
• If you are unable to break down plant fiber, you may experience constipation, eczema or other skin-related problems, recurrent yeast/fungal infestations or excessive weight gain.

The above conditions are also the result of diets high in those foods associated with the enzyme deficiency. In fact, the foods one craves are those that create dietary stress due to one's inability to digest them completely. They are also the foods one has either allergies or hypersensitivities towards because of the failure to be able to digest them, i.e., because of the deficiency of that particular enzyme. People may crave certain foods because of the enzymes found within the food, which the body needs. But being cooked and destroyed, those enzymes do nothing for the craving—so we eat more of the same thing, telling ourselves we should not.

We should eat a diet containing uncooked vegetables to replenish missing enzymes. Plant-based digestive enzymes are preferred over animal-based ones, because plants provide a wider range of active enzymes. By promoting digestion, enzymes may also accelerate the passage of food through the stomach and digestive tract, reducing acid retention, heartburn, and irritation.

Poorly or incompletely digested food may give rise to food allergies or sensitivity reactions to certain chemical components in foods. In addition, by reducing the workload on the pancreas and other organs, enzyme therapy is said to free up enzymes to do additional work in the body. These enzymes, some believe, could help clean the bloodstream of stray virus protein, undigested food proteins that have leaked through the gut lining, and other internally generated toxins, thereby boosting immunity, quelling inflammation, and preventing illness. There are no rigorous studies, however, to back up most of these claims. The way we eat and the "foods" that we eat have placed severe strains on the body's ability to absorb the nutrients in them, and the results are poor nutrition and diseases such as "leaky gut" which is the backflow of toxins from the intestines into the bloodstream. These toxins are normally tied up with digested fiber in the intestine and are expelled with faeces. Without adequate fiber, leaky gut happens.

When enzymes are functioning, foods are completely broken down into vital nutrients that can be readily absorbed into the bloodstream, providing essential vitamins and minerals to tissues throughout the body. By promoting digestion, enzymes may also accelerate the passage of food through the stomach and digestive tract, reducing acid retention, heartburn, and irritation.

According to Howell, the lymph system is the body's enzyme reservoir, in particular, the leukocytes. This explains why leukocytes are sent off to battle germ invaders - they have most of the digestive power to absorb them. It also explains the well-known phenomenon of digestive leukocytosis that occurs in the small intestine when cooked food is eaten. The idea is that the body's normal supply of digestive secretions are maxed out by this food, so the reserves are rushed to the scene to help out.

Enzyme Therapy
Enzyme therapy is based in part on the simple notion that if something is missing, replacing it with a suitable substitute fixes the problem. If you are lactose intolerant, for example, your body does not produce enough lactase, the enzyme that breaks down milk sugars. Cramping and diarrhea result as dairy products pass through your bowel undigested. Taking lactase supplements with meals can make these foods tolerable by acting as "hired hands," doing the work that your body cannot.

Advocates of enzyme supplements argue that since many people are deficient in important enzymes, most of us can benefit from more of them. Additional digestive enzymes, they say, help to protect the body against a wide range of ailments by ensuring optimal digestion.

In addition to digestive enzymes, nondigestive enzyme products are sold in health-food stores to boost energy, fight inflammation, and enhance antioxidant activity. Examples include superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase, and catalase (CAT). Some experts advise, however, that these so-called metabolic or antioxidant enzyme pills are not worth the money because they are broken down and inactivated once they enter the digestive tract.

Diseases
More serious bodywide problems can arise with certain uncommon genetic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, which are caused by inherited enzyme deficiencies. For this reason, conventional doctors routinely prescribe enzyme supplements when a specific genetic defect is uncovered.

Enthusiasts of enzyme therapy also claim that it has additional beneficial effects on the body. For example, in some people, poorly or incompletely digested food may give rise to food allergies or sensitivity reactions to certain chemical components in foods. Supplemental digestive enzymes may reduce such reactions. In addition, by reducing the workload on the pancreas and other organs, enzyme therapy is said to free up enzymes to do additional work in the body. These enzymes, some believe, could help clean the bloodstream of stray virus protein, undigested food proteins that have leaked through the gut lining, and other internally generated toxins, thereby boosting immunity, quelling inflammation, and preventing illness. There are no rigorous studies, however, to back up most of these claims.

Dr. Howell has shown the implications of too few enzymes being absorbed as part of our food; the resultant effects on the immune and other systems in the body and the dietary adaptations to remedy this. One problem which emerges is that the pancreas becomes enlarged in an attempt to produce more enzymes, and even then cannot produce enough cellular enzymes to keep the body functioning correctly. The results can be auto-immune diseases, allergies, arthritis, heart problems, diabetes and cancer.

Studies have confirmed that enzymes are effective for a number of medical conditions. For example, doctors prescribe pancreatin, a blend of pancreatic enzymes derived from pigs, to improve absorption of nutrients in people with cystic fibrosis or diseases of the pancreas. Other enzymes are prescribed for rare, inherited enzyme disorders, such as Fabry's disease, Pompe disease, and Gaucher's disease, which typically appear during childhood. Enzymes are also often helpful for long-term celiac disease, an allergic reaction to the gluten in wheat and other foods.

Anecdotal evidence also suggests that enzymes are helpful for a variety of digestive ailments, including heartburn, bloating, and the chronic indigestion that comes with aging. Inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, as well as irritable bowel syndrome, may also improve with enzymes. And everyday complaints can be helped as well: If you're prone to embarrassing outbursts of gas, for example, you may find relief with the enzyme product Beano; if you're lactose intolerant, Lactaid may help. Even in the absence of symptoms, some practitioners recommend routine use of enzymes for just about everyone to maintain peak digestive health.

Dr Howell wrote two books reporting his life's work: Food Enzymes for Health and Longevity and Enzyme Nutrition. Some of the most important revelations about enzymes, nutrition and physiology are contained in these pages. He noted that all mammals have a pre-digestive stomach; he called it a "food enzyme stomach". In humans, it is the uppermost portion of the stomach—the fundus or cardiac portion. It is here that enzymes found in raw food pre-digest what has been ingested. Enzymes secreted from saliva and other glands will likewise pre-digest some of the cooked food consumed. However, when cooked food is eaten, enzymes will be supplied from other organs to digest the cooked food. This produces a constant drain of enzymes from the immune system and other important organs. When this happens over a lifetime, organs fail and are overcome with "disease".

Howell discussed organ hypertrophy, noting that any organ or gland will grow more cells, becoming larger because the demand placed on it exceeds its ability to function. He found that, in particular, the pancreas in humans was 2–3 times heavier and larger in proportion to body weight as compared to the pancreas of other mammals. He attributed this to consumption of an excessive amount of cooked foods.

Aging
The body has upwards of 100,000 enzymes in production, but the energy that produces these things is of a finite inherited quantity. The process of aging is merely a gradual using up of the body's enzyme potential. Further, the body maintains a pool of readily available enzyme stores that it is able to use to transmute its enzymes from one type to another --- digestive to metabolic to whatever. The point for raw foods is this: every time we eat, the body must use up some of its enzyme potential and enzyme stores in processing the food. The less food eaten, the less enzyme potential gets used up (or it gets used in more productive ways, like healing chronic ailments, and so forth).

When enzymes are not present in the stomach for digestion, food passes into the duodenum, the upper portion of the small intestine, where enzymes secreted from the pancreas digest the food. This is the common teaching in medical schools. But what if the pancreas was not meant to be the major digestive enzyme organ? What if digestion was meant to take place in the stomach, with enzyme-rich food?

Howell referred to what he called "the law of adaptive secretion of digestive enzymes"—that the body will secrete exactly the right amounts and types of digestive enzymes depending upon what type of food is ingested. Eating a piece of cheese will produce more fat-digesting enzymes than would be produced if eating a piece of bread, which is primarily a starch and requires a starch-digesting enzyme.

Dr Howell cited studies suggesting this to be the case. Because food is not digested in the stomach as Nature intended, the burden then falls to the pancreas, causing it to hypertrophy. If the burden continues for long enough periods, it may lead to pancreatitis or other more serious ailments.

Dr Howell remarked that during the early part of the 20th century when zoos were being developed to house captured wild animals, the death rate was very high. It was found that animals in their natural habitat ate everything raw. They were now being fed cooked foods and experiencing many new diseases unknown to their counterparts in the wild. It was found that the enzyme content of saliva from animals in the wild was either hardly there or missing altogether. On the contrary, captured animals fed cooked foods had very high enzyme content in their saliva. The animals were being forced to secrete enzymes from other organs to digest the cooked food. When their diets were changed back to mostly raw foods, the enzyme content in their saliva was reduced and the death rate dropped significantly.

Raw Food
Raw foods contain self-digesting enzymes which are highly active at physiological temperatures and do a great deal of pre-digesting of the food in the first 30-45 minutes it sits in our stomach before these are broken down in turn by our digestive juices.

He likens enzyme energy to electricity. The 1000's of enzymes are really just protein carriers of one special kind of energy that flows from one enzyme protein carrier to another. He suggests that in addition to the enzymes of raw food predigesting it to some extent, the body may also be able to remove the energy packets from these plant enzymes before it digestively destroys the protein carriers and add them to its stores.

The Grand Connection: Minerals, Enzymes and Immunity
We live in an ocean of billions of microbes such as fungii, bacteria, and viruses in the air we breath, the water we drink, and food we eat. Their mission is to use our bodies as a resource for growing. They cause diseases and death. After death, microbes take over completely and we turn into dust. The only defense we have is our immune system.

Immune cells in the bloodstream find and kill invaders such as bacteria, fungii, and viruses. They also kill cancer cells formed in our body. This happens millions of times per hour.

The killing mechanisms inside immune cells are enzymes. Trace minerals are the key components, or the bolts of enzyme molecules. The absence or shortage of trace minerals during the production of immune cells results in a weak or useless enzyme and thus a weak or useless immune cell.

A healthy immune system is constantly being rebuilt and renewed. Immune cells such as Killer T, B, and macrophages last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. They are constantly being replaced. In the hourly renewal process of immune cells we need a constant stream of a wide range of trace minerals.

The most effective way to ingest minerals is when they are locked with organic molecules. This happens when plants take minerals in the element form, from the ground through their roots. The plants combine the minerals in element form with organic molecules in the plant. This is the difference between plants and animals. Plants take in minerals in the elemental form, and animals ingest minerals when they are organically bound in the food chain.

SA provides plants with 52 minerals when they are growing. The plants provide a powerful set of organically bound minerals to those who eat our products. Our bodies can absorb 100% of these minerals when they are bound organically. These minerals are the foundation for a strong immune system and can provide resistance to infection and cancer.