Pro Enzym

Enzymes are specialized proteins that break down or convert nutrients and other substances in the body. Their specific role is to facilitate the biochemical reactions required for these processes. To do this, they temporarily bind to the starting material (substrate) and lower the energy threshold for the reaction. Enzymes thus essentially provide the spark that ignites reactions that would normally not occur at all—or would proceed much more slowly—at body temperature.

Most enzymes can catalyze only one substrate and only one reaction. Like most specialists, they are quite demanding and require a specific acidity level (pH) and a specific temperature to function optimally. In addition, many enzymes depend on coenzymes and cofactors such as vitamins, minerals, and trace elements.

Enzymes can be divided into metabolic enzymes and digestive enzymes. Metabolic enzymes are found throughout the body and play a role in numerous cellular and organ functions. Digestive enzymes are responsible for breaking down ingested food and making its nutrients available to the body. They break down large protein, fat, and carbohydrate molecules into smaller building blocks that can then be absorbed in the intestines.

Digestive enzymes are classified into three groups based on their substrates: lipases break down fats, amylases break down carbohydrates, and proteases break down proteins. These digestive enzymes are also referred to as LAP enzymes, based on their initial letters. The first amylases and lipases begin their work as early as the mouth, but most digestive enzymes are produced by the pancreas and carry out their function in the small intestine. Another digestive enzyme active in the small intestine is lactase. It breaks down the milk sugar lactose into its two components, glucose and galactose. Other examples of digestive enzymes in the small intestine include invertase (which breaks down sucrose into fructose and glucose) and maltase-glucoamylase (which breaks down maltose and maltotriose into glucose).

Proteases are protein-cleaving enzymes that break down proteins into amino acids. Proteins consist of amino acids linked together in long chains via peptide bonds.
Proteases specifically target these peptide bonds. Since proteases cleave peptide bonds through hydrolysis (a reaction with water), they are also referred to as peptidases or proteolytic enzymes.

Most proteases act with a high degree of specificity and, for example, target only certain segments of an amino acid chain. Proteases also have very different requirements regarding their pH environment: While the stomach enzyme pepsin is perfectly adapted to its acidic environment, pancreatic proteases such as chymotrypsin and trypsin prefer the alkaline conditions of the small intestine.

The proteases in Pro Enzym are specifically formulated so that their respective optimal pH levels complement each other perfectly, thereby covering the entire gastrointestinal tract.

If certain enzymes are missing or are no longer produced in sufficient quantities by the pancreas, the food we eat cannot be properly digested (anymore). Stress or an unhealthy, unbalanced diet can also easily throw the digestive system—and with it, the body’s enzyme balance—out of whack. Furthermore, a diet low in raw foods reduces the intake of valuable plant-based enzymes. Supplemental enzymes can support healthy digestion and alleviate discomfort caused by undigested food.

Many enzyme supplements contain animal enzymes derived from the pancreas of pigs and cattle. However, pancreatic enzymes are naturally designed for the alkaline environment of the small intestine and are destroyed by stomach acid. When taken orally, they require acid protection, such as in the form of enteric-coated capsules.

The vegetarian enzymes in Pro Enzym, on the other hand, are acid-stable and can aid digestion early on in the stomach. This not only makes them significantly more efficient than animal-derived enzymes, but also a genuine alternative for people who, for ethical or religious reasons, do not wish to consume animal products—or, specifically, pork products.

Most enzymes are produced by the body itself, while a few are obtained from food—especially raw fruits and vegetables. Foods naturally rich in enzymes include, for example, raw sauerkraut, pineapple, papaya, bananas, kiwis, melons, mangoes, and grapes. However, plant-based foods provide only a very, very small portion of the enzymes your body actually needs. And here’s the key: raw foods. Like all proteins, enzymes cannot tolerate heat. Most lose their function at temperatures as low as about 40 degrees and therefore cannot survive even low cooking temperatures.

Bromelain is a mixture of enzymes and is known for its protein-breaking (proteolytic) properties.

Digestive enzymes generally begin their work as soon as they come into contact with food in the stomach and intestines.

Dietary fiber consists of indigestible carbohydrates that the human body cannot break down on its own. Consuming too much dietary fiber at once can strain the digestive system and cause gastrointestinal problems such as bloating.

Insoluble dietary fiber Substances such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin swell in the intestines. This makes the stool firmer and helps it move more quickly through the intestines. However, they require sufficient fluid to do so. Anyone who eats (too) much insoluble fiber but doesn’t drink enough fluids risks constipation.

Soluble Fiber In contrast, these are the main triggers of bloating. They are used as food by gut bacteria and fermented. This process produces valuable short-chain fatty acids, but also gases that cause bloating. The main problem lies with those dietary fibers and carbohydrates that are fermented particularly quickly by gut bacteria. See also “What is FODMAP?”

Pro Enzym contains enzymes that break down soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, thereby improving digestibility.

FODMAP refers to a group of carbohydrates that ferment particularly quickly. The English acronym FODMAP stands for “fermentable oligo-, di-, and monosaccharides and polyols”—that is, fermentable complex, simple, and monosaccharides, as well as sugar alcohols. They are found in numerous foods and are normally processed without any problems by a healthy gut.

FODMAPs can be fermented by gut bacteria, so in principle they are nothing more than soluble dietary fiber. As such, they are actually healthy. However, in people with intolerances or irritable bowel syndrome, FODMAPs often trigger bloating and other digestive symptoms. In addition to fructose, fructans, and galacto-oligosaccharides, lactose is also classified as a FODMAP: About 15 percent of all Europeans cannot fully digest lactose because they lack the enzyme lactase.

Pro Enzym provides the enzymes alpha-galactosidase and lactase, which help the body break down galacto-oligosaccharides and lactose.

Phytic acid is a secondary plant compound found primarily in grains, nuts, and legumes. In plants, phytic acid serves as a phosphate store and as protection against predators. Phytic acid and its salts, known as phytates, are considered antinutrients because they bind to proteins and minerals in food and inhibit their absorption into the body. In addition, phytic acid blocks digestive enzymes such as amylase, trypsin, and pepsin.

The enzyme phytase in Pro Enzym neutralizes phytic acids and phytates, ensuring that you get more nutrients from your food.

Isolated enzymes can vary greatly in terms of their activity and quality; therefore, their potency cannot be easily compared based solely on quantity. Unlike many other suppliers, we therefore specify the actual enzyme activity contained in Pro Enzym.

One enzyme unit usually corresponds to the amount of enzyme that hydrolyzes one micromole (μmol) of substrate per minute under standardized conditions. Since enzymes act in a reaction- and substrate-specific manner, enzyme units are defined differently for each enzyme according to the FCC (Food Chemical Codex) standard.

Enzyme Units in Pro Enzym
SAPU: Spectrophotometric Acid Protease Units
HUT: Hemoglobin Unit Tyrosine Base
PU: Papain Units
FIP: Fungal Lipase International Units
DU: Dextrinizing Unit
AGU: Amyloglucosidase Units
DP: Diastase Units
SU: Sumner Units
ALU: Acid Lactase Units
GalU: Galactosidase Units
CU: Cellulase Units
HCU: Hemicellulase Units
endo-PGU: endo-Polygalacturonase Units
FTU: Phytase Units

No, please do not open or chew the capsules.
To ensure that Pro Enzym can support your body’s own enzymes as effectively as possible, it is important that they take effect where they are meant to: in the stomach and intestines.
This is especially true for the proteases it contains. Unlike the digestion of carbohydrates and fats, protein digestion begins in the stomach; that’s why there are naturally no protein-digesting enzymes in your mouth.