The 12 Enzymes in ENZALASE®

ENZALASE® contains 12 high potency digestive enzymes, the stated activity of each enzyme is guaranteed through the expiration date printed on the product’s label. All 12 enzymes are protected from stomach acid and pepsin by a food grade, carbohydrate from seaweed called sodium alginate (Patent Pending). This acid-proof protection assures that the enzymes in ENZALASE® will get delivered unharmed and fully active into the small intestine where they complement the body’s digestive enzymes. Sodium alginate adds a bonus benefit by holding most of the enzymes together in a gel as they move through the small intestine where they release slowly from the gel as it moves along – resulting in digestive support deep within the intestinal tract. Deep digestive support helps provide cobiotics that feed Lactobacillus probiotics in the ileum section of the small intestine. See Cobiotics for more information.

ENZALASE® stands apart from other digestive enzyme supplements with this unique technology: The 12 enzymes in ENZALASE® make it through the harsh acidity of the stomach fully active and get delivered deep into the intestinal tract where they go to work.

The enzymes in ENZALASE® are grouped into four major categories; these are listed below as GROUPS and can also be found on the  What’s Inside an ENZALASE® Capsule page.

ENZALASE® GROUP #1 – Protein Digesting Enzymes

• Bromelain Protease – 150 GDU/capsule
• Papain Protease – 42,500 TU/capsule
• Neutral Protease – 5,800 HU/capsule

These three powerful protein digesting enzymes are all plant source proteases. The numbers and letters following the name represent the activity of that enzyme present in each ENZALASE® capsule. The weight of an enzyme in mg means nothing, only activity counts. Activity is the actual “work” that the enzymes are capable of doing, a milligram guarantee (mg) on a label is only a measure of weight, not activity.

BROMELAIN

Bromelain comes from pineapple, both fruit and stems, and contains a mixture of proteolytic enzymes, called cysteine proteases, that form peptides (short chains of amino acids) and amino acids from whole proteins. It has a long history of use as a digestive aid. Bromelain’s activity is expressed in Gelatin Dissolving Units (GDU) which are strong units by comparison to other protein digestion units so a relatively low value is significant. Bromelain also demonstrates anti-inflammatory activity when taken on an empty stomach. In Europe, Bromelain has been used orally to treat many conditions; a partial list follows:

1. Arthritis
2. Joint pain and swelling
3. To reduce finger numbness and tingling resulting from carpal tunnel syndrome.
4. To clear the blood of circulating immune complexes (CICs) that suppress the immune system.
5. To reduce blood platelet adhesiveness to endothelial cells.
6. As a blood thinner to enhance microcirculation.

References to all of the above can be found by doing a simple web search or see Scientific References  for more information. These “European effects” with bromelain, which has now become an expensive “drug” requiring a prescription in Germany, require that it be taken on an empty stomach. They have been reported for very low blood levels of Bromelain in the range of 0.1 mcg/ml. This is not unusual for enzyme treatments since they act as catalysts and turnover, meaning they don’t get used up as standard chemical drugs but continue to work on one substrate molecule at a time, break loose, then work on another and another.

This information is presented for educational purposes only, THERABIOTICS, Inc. makes no claim that ENZALASE® will produce the above listed effects only that ENZALASE® contains a guaranteed level of bromelain. ENZALASE® is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

ENZALASE® contains 150 GDU of bromelain activity/capsule.

PAPAIN

Papain contains a mixture of proteolytic enzymes derived from unripe papaya fruit. It is a powerful digestive aid that effectively attacks tough-to-digest proteins, such as beef steak, releasing peptides and amino acids. Papain is used as a meat tenderizer due to its rapid acting proteolytic activity. It has been shown to be synergistic with bromelain, each attacks different peptide bonds assuring that protein digestion goes to completion.

Papain activity is expressed in either TU, tyrosine units, or PU, papain units; 1 TU = 60 PU. Keep this in mind when comparing enzyme activities on competitive products, the TU is a much larger unit. ENZALASE® capsules contain 42,500 TU of papain activity which is equivalent to 2,550,000 PU. Papain is present in ENZALASE® at a very potent activity level.

Papain has been used in Germany for decades to reduce inflammation, defibrinate wounds, remove dead cells from burn wounds, treat jellyfish and insect stings, prevent cornea scar deformation, and many other uses. It may be an important enzyme for enhancing systemic health along with bromelain. The pioneering work of the late German physician Dr. Hans Nieper is worthy of review regarding the use of these enzymes for enhancing systemic health. See Scientific References for more information on this subject.

This information is presented for educational purposes only. Therabiotics, Inc. makes no claim that ENZALASE® will produce these effects only that it contains a guaranteed level of papain. ENZALASE® is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

NEUTRAL PROTEASE

A neutral protease is the third proteolytic enzyme that completes the protein digesting group for ENZALASE®. It is derived from Aspergillus oryzae and functions optimally in a pH range around neutral (6.5-8.0). Protein digestion is therefore enhanced by this enzyme in the small intestine which operates at a similar pH range. Many enzyme supplements contain acid protease enzymes which function primarily in the stomach at a pH below 3.0. ENZALASE® does not contain acid proteases since it is designed to function in the small intestine where backup digestive activity and cobiotic generation (for Lactobacillus stimulation) is needed. The neutral protease in ENZALASE® is present at an activity of 5,800 hemoglobin units (HU)/capsule.

ENZALASE® GROUP #2 – Carbohydrate Digesting Enzymes

• Alpha-Amylase – 5,000 SKB/capsule
• Alpha-Galactosidase – 165 GalU/capsule
• Glucoamylase – 5 AG/capsule
• Invertase – 400 SU/capsule
• Lactase – 500 ALU/capsule

ALPHA-AMYLASE

This important enzyme digests polysaccharides in the starch family that contain alpha-1,4-glycosidic bonds. There are other amylases such as beta and gamma-amylase but alpha-amylase is the most important in food digestion. Alpha-amylase will digest a large variety of starches such as wheat, corn, potato, and rice starch. The end products of the digestion are mostly dextrins which are linear chains of glucose of varying length and oligosaccharides or short glucose chains down to maltose which is a disaccharide containing two glucose molecules. To get free glucose released, alpha-amylase needs help from glucoamylase which will be discussed separately.

The extent to which dextrins are broken down into shorter chain oligosaccharides and to maltose, which is the objective, depends on several factors: The amount of alpha-amylase present, the type of starch, the transit time in the small intestine, and the presence of any enzyme inhibiting compounds or hostile factors. The human body produces alpha-amylase in the mouth (via saliva) and in the pancreas from where it is injected into the small intestine at the duodenum. Alpha-amylase production slows down with age, often dramatically. Various disease conditions also limit the amount produced. When undigested starch moves deep into the intestinal tract bad things can happen, starch stimulates many types of bacteria and yeast that can over grow the small intestine, it’s called SIBO for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Candida yeast infections are a classic example of SIBO. The result is indigestion, cramping, and excess gas shortly after eating. A multi-enzyme supplement containing alpha-amylase can help prevent SIBO as can co-administration with a high potency probiotic – visit www.theralac.com.

ENZALASE® contains 5,000 SKB units of alpha-amylase activity/capsule. One SKB (Sandstedt Kneen Blish) unit liberates 1.0 grams of limit-dextrin per hour. Therefore, one SKB unit will digest one gram of starch per hour under ideal conditions, so the 5,000 SKB units in ENZALASE® should digest 5,000 grams (11 lbs) of starch per hour. That may appear to be overkill but it’s not, the key phrase in the above sentence is “under ideal conditions” – the duodenum section of the human small intestine shortly after a meal has anything but ideal conditions for any given enzyme. When the food mixture (chyme) moves from the stomach into the duodenum it contains stomach acid, pepsin (a hostile enzyme to other enzymes), fat coatings that slow the action of digestive enzymes, fiber and food borne enzyme inhibitors, anti-digestion factors (ADFs) we don’t understand yet, multiple enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the liver. Not a happy place for any one enzyme trying to excel at its job. At best, compromise conditions exist in the duodenum that allow a number of different digestive enzymes to function simultaneously at some activity level less than what they demonstrate in vitro (in the laboratory). So overkill on the amount of supplemental enzyme added/capsule is required. With ENZALASE®, due to its acid-proof formulation, the amount of overage required is less than what would be required for a non-acid-proof product. Since amylase is a relatively inexpensive enzyme to put in a supplement some manufacturers overload it and reduce the amount of other more expensive enzymes such as lipase (see the discussion on lipase that follows).

GLUCOAMYLASE

This is the enzyme that completes the job for alpha-amylase. Glucoamylase (also called amyloglucosidase) works on dextrins at their non-reducing ends and releases free glucose. Glucoamylase helps pull alpha-amylase by preventing a buildup of dextrins that slow down alpha-amylase by feedback inhibition. Glucoamylase is used in the food industry to produce glucose from starch in such applications as alcohol production, fruit juicing and baking. It is an important augmenting enzyme in high quality multi-enzyme supplements.

ENZALASE® contains 5 AG units of glucoamylase activity. AGs, or amyloglucosidase units, are relatively large units so a little goes a long way. Be wary of any enzyme supplement that contains alpha-amylase (may be listed incorrectly as amylase) and no glucoamylase!

ALPHA-GALACTOSIDASE

Alpha-galactosidase from Aspergillus niger catalyzes the hydrolysis (digestion) of sugars in the raffinose family which include raffinose, melibiose and stachyose. These are the gassy carbohydrates found in beans and peas and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cabbage. The human digestive system needs help in dealing with these carbohydrates or the person consuming them becomes antisocial rather quickly. When these sugars make it into the colon undigested an army of waiting bacteria, including clostridia and bacteroides species, have a gas party. Separate from the embarrassing issues is the issue of disproportionation of the colon microflora as beneficial bifidobacteria can potentially lose out to less desirable microbes when these gassy foods become a frequent addition to the diet. So supplementing the diet with alpha-galactosidase can potentially confer a health benefit along with a social benefit.

Here are the end products of the digestion of the raffinose family sugars by alpha-galactosidase:

Raffinose + alpha-galactosidase > galactose + sucrose
Melibiose + alpha-galactosidase > galactose + glucose
Stachyose + alpha-galactosidase > galactose + sucrose

These end product sugars are well assimilated in a healthy digestive tract and are generally non-gassy.

According to the PDR (see www.pdrhealth.com under supplemental enzymes) a tablet of alpha-galactosidase typically contains 150 GalU of Galactosidase activity Units. ENZALASE® capsules contain 165 GalU of alpha-galactosidase activity. This amount is quite effective and well tolerated. Formulations that contain > 165 GalU can cause stomach upset in some people.

LACTASE

Lactase, or beta-galactosidase, digests lactose (milk sugar) and releases galactose and glucose which are readily assimilated by the body. When lactose is not digested in the upper small intestine it travels to the ileum and colon where gas producing bacteria readily consume it, this condition is referred to as lactose intolerance. People with lactose intolerance react negatively to dairy products and processed foods that contain lactose, bloating with excess gas and diarrhea are the common symptoms.

Lactose intolerance is also called lactose malabsorption or maldigestion and results from low production of lactase in the brush border membrane of the mucosa of the small intestine, in plain English a lactose intolerant person is not producing enough lactase. There are different types of lactose intolerance, in the primary type lactase is produced at birth, decreases during childhood, and becomes low in adulthood. This is a normal sequence for humans and other mammals and is nature’s way of telling us we need less milk as we mature. Other types of lactose intolerance can be genetic or brought on by disease. Certain white populations are less prone to developing lactose intolerance in adulthood, populations in northern Europe and their offspring in America and Australia are examples of these. In general, 70-95% of the adults worldwide are lactose intolerant.

Lactose maldigestion is defined as an increase in blood glucose concentration of < 1.12 millimoles/liter or a breath hydrogen of > 20 ppm after ingestion of 50 grams of lactose. Most lactose intolerant people can consume a small amount of lactose without showing adverse symptoms. The tolerance level is about 10-12 grams of lactose or 200 ml of milk (about one 1 glass) but may be as low as 0.5 to 7 grams of lactose. See Scientific References for more information on this subject.

The use of lactase as a dietary supplement to help offset the symptoms of lactose intolerance has gained popularity in the last 10 years. Lactase is currently sold as a stand alone supplement and is also used to treat milk prior to consumption. The problem with using lactase as a dietary supplement has been its sensitivity to stomach acid (and pepsin) which destroy a significant amount of activity before it reaches the intestinal tract. In a 2002 study published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Science (Alavi et al, 5(3): 234-244, 2002) it was found that both Lactaid and Enzeco brands of lactase lost > 96% of their activity after exposure to pH 1.2 stomach acid for 2 hours. To compensate for this loss high levels of lactase activity are used/tablet which makes it difficult to include other enzymes in such products. The answer is not to use an excess overage but to properly protect the lactase enzyme from stomach acid which is what is accomplished in the ENZALASE® formulation (Patent Pending).

ENZALASE® contains 500 ALU of lactase activity/capsule. One ALU (Acid Lactase Unit – FCC Method) is the quantity of enzyme that will liberate o-nitrophenol from o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside at the rate of 1 micromole/min. at pH 4.5 at 37 C. Reference: Food Chemicals Codex, Fourth Edition, July 1, 1996. To put this in more practical terms, 500 ALU of lactase activity will digest > 80% of the lactose in 1.5 glasses of milk (18 ounces) in one hour.

INVERTASE

Invertase, also called sucrase, is the enzyme that splits sucrose (table sugar) into its component parts, fructose and glucose. The body produces invertase in the small intestine for this purpose but aging and disease often limit the amount produced. ENZALASE® contains a booster dose of 400 Summer Units (SU) of invertase activity/capsule.

It is not desirable to have disaccharides like sucrose build up in the intestinal tract and various health problems have been associated with sucrose maldigestion, akin in some respects to lactose intolerance. Multi-enzyme supplements that include invertase may help prevent these problems.

ENZALASE® GROUP #3 – Fat Digesting Lipase Enzyme

• Lipase – 6,000 FIP Lipase Units/capsule

LIPASE

Lipase is the keystone enzyme in ENZALASE® due to its ability to enhance the activity of the other eleven enzymes. Lipase digests fats and oils that interfere with the activity of other enzymes; when fats and oils form a film around nutrients such as starches and proteins, which commonly happens in the stomach, the digestion rate of these nutrients decreases once they reach the duodenum if there is any shortage of pancreatic lipase. Try to visualize a protease enzyme like bromelain trying to digest a piece of pork chop that is covered with fat, fat from the pork, from butter, from cooking oil, and from other fatty foods in the meal. It becomes difficult for bromelain to get a hold of, so to speak, the fat coated pork proteins. On a molecular level fat blocks bromelain’s active site and reduces its activity. This interference can be easily demonstrated in the lab, add bromelain to some ground meat and water in a beaker and measure its rate of digestion, now repeat the test but add a few grams of butter to a second beaker containing the same amount of meat and bromelain. The rate of protein digestion will be slower in the beaker containing the butter.

Lipase is the enzyme that directly digests fats and oils and converts these triglycerides to fatty acids and glycerol that are then utilized for energy and metabolism. Problems arise when fats are not effectively digested, blood triglycerides go up, intestinal problems develop, and fat appears in the stools. As we age it’s common for all digestive enzymes to decrease by 1-2% per year and lipase is no exception.

Therefore, it makes sense to add high lipase activity to a multi-enzyme supplement. Why is this not done? Because lipase is one of the most expensive enzymes on the world market! Cost notwithstanding, ENZALASE® has been formulated to contain 6,000 FIP units of lipase activity/capsule, the highest strength available in a nonprescription digestive enzyme supplement.

It is known that 6,000 FIP units of lipase activity will digest about 28 grams, or one ounce, of olive oil in one hour at body temperature. This provides significant augmentation to the lipase produced by the body. For example, a 2,000 Calorie per day diet containing 30% of the calories as fat would contain 67 grams of fat. The amount of lipase in ENZALASE® would be sufficient to digest 42% of this amount of fat in one hour and > 80% in two hours. From this it can be seen that products containing less than 1,000 FIP units of lipase activity per dose are simply not effective in supporting fat digestion. In addition, ENZALASE® contains EnzaStim® a unique fat emulsifier that can double the above digestion rate under conditions found in the duodenum (Patent Pending). Fat digestion is dependent upon having the fats emulsified (effectively micro-mixed with water) and EnzaStim®, found only in ENZALASE®, helps support the body’s fat emulsifying secretions. Visit Patents Pending to learn more about EnzaStim®.

ENZALASE GROUP #4 – Fiber Digesting Enzymes

• Cellulase ---- 3,000 CU/capsule
• Hemicellulase ---- 6,400 HCU/capsule
• Pectinase ---- 7,500 AJDU/capsule

CELLULASE

Cellulase digests cellulose, an insoluble fiber source, which is present in fruits, vegetables and grains. Cellulose, like starch, is a polymer of glucose molecules but they are bonded together differently in cellulose and require a different enzyme to split them, cellulase instead of alpha-amylase. But the end result of digesting starch and cellulose is the same, glucose.

The human body does not produce the enzyme cellulase so there is essentially no digestion of cellulose unless a dietary supplement containing this enzyme is ingested. Most multi-enzyme supplements do not contain cellulase and those that do contain a low, essentially nonfunctional, activity level. In such products the cellulase is there for marketing purposes, just one more enzyme to claim on the label. This is not the case with ENZALASE® which contains a significant 3,000 FCC cellulase units (CU) per capsule. There’s an important reason for this level of cellulase in ENZALASE®: Cellulase performs a unique function with respect to probiotics by assisting in the release of prebiotics from complex fiber matrices present in whole foods. Prebiotics provide a food source for Bifidobacterium probiotics (Patent Pending). See Patents Pending  to read more about prebiotic release and enhanced prebiotic bioavailability.

FCC stands for Food Chemical Codex and represents, for any enzyme, one of the most accepted standardized assay techniques. One FCC unit of cellulase activity or CU will produce a relative fluidity change (lower viscosity) of 1.0 in five minutes in a defined carboxymethyl cellulose substrate under conditions of the assay. This means that when a viscous solution of cellulose is treated with cellulase it thins out.

HEMICELLULASE

Hemicellulase, as cellulase, is not produced by the human body. This important enzyme digests non-cellulose polysaccharides found throughout the plant kingdom including in many vegetables and grains. Hemicellulose carbohydrates are known to hinder the digestion and absorption of various nutrients and have only limited prebiotic potential. The action of the hemicellulase enzyme on hemicellulose carbohydrates is important to enhancing the prebiotic activity of the latter. This is an issue not commonly discussed regarding enzyme supplements. Food grade guar gum, for example, becomes a more effective prebiotic if it is partially cracked by hemicellulase to partially hydrolyzed guar gum, PHGG. Other examples of hemicellulose carbohydrates that can be helped by partial cracking with hemicellulase are various galactomannoglucans, betaglucans, pentosans, and a whole catalog of hydrocolloid gums used in foods. Yes, ice cream and dairy desserts, ones loaded with gums like locust bean, acacia, and carrageenan, can get a prebiotic boost via partial digestion with hemicellulase. ENZALASE® contains a potent activity level of hemicellulase at 6,400 HCU/capsule (Patent Pending). One FCC – HCU or HemiCellulase Unit produces a relative fluidity change of 1.0 in 5 minutes in a locust bean gum solution at 40 C and pH 4.5.

PECTINASE

Pectinase is present in ENZALASE® at 7,500 AJDU/capsule – Apple Juice Depectinizing Units. This is a potent level of a food grade enzyme rarely found in dietary enzyme supplements. Fruit pectins, like hemicellulose polysaccharides, are potential prebiotics provided they can be partially cracked to render them more bifidogenic (food source for Bifidobacteria). As a separate issue, plant cell wall pectins have been shown to form water soluble complexes with various nutrients and may limit the availability of FOS type prebiotics in certain fruits. Thus, encouraging the in situ digestion of food pectins has dual prebiotic activation potential (Patent Pending).

When combined with cellulase and hemicellulase, pectinase completes the critical triad of high potency fiber digesting enzymes present in ENZALASE® making it totally unique among digestive enzyme supplements (Patent Pending).

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