Enzymes are protein-like substances that act as catalysts for all chemical reactions in the body. Enzymes help maintain the body’s tissues, orchestrate its functions and digest food. There are three kinds of enzymes:
Metabolic Enzymes — spark many of the reactions inside cells, enabling our organs, tissues, and cells to work properly.
Food Enzymes — supplied by what we eat, they help break down food before our digestive enzymes are called upon. The majority of food enzymes are destroyed at temperatures above 118ºF, so nearly all cooked and processed foods are devoid of them.
Indigenous Digestive Enzymes — secreted by the pancreas into the small intestine, they break down the nutrients in the foods we eat that have not already been broken down by food enzymes.
Garden of Life believes that enzymes are perhaps our most important and overlooked dietary component. Before the advent of modern food processing, we ate a diet that was rich in “live” raw and fermented foods. These foods contained many of the food enzymes that our diet lacks today. Food enzymes aid in the digestion of food. Without them, the body must produce more digestive enzymes to break down the nutrients in the food we consume.
Ω-Zyme™ is one of the most complex and comprehensive digestive enzyme products available, with 20 different digestive enzymes. Plus, it is formulated with one of the highest activity levels for individual enzymes.
Ω-Zyme™ contains potent enzymes that support the digestion of a multitude of nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract, including:
Protease blend of five proteolytic enzymes aids digestion and utilization of dietary proteins
Amylase digests starch
Lipase digests fats
Glucoamylase breaks down starch-like carbohydrates
Malt diastase (maltase) digests maltose based carbohydrates or malt found in grain
Invertase (sucrase) is an enzyme that breaks down sucrose into glucose and fructose
alpha-Galactosidase helps digestion of difficult-to-digest foods such as beans, legumes and cruciferous vegetables
Lactase digests the milk sugar lactose
Cellulase digests fiber cellulose into smaller units
Xylanase breaks down xylose, also called wood sugar
Pectinase breaks down carbohydrates such as pectin, found in the pulp of many fruits
Hemicellulase breaks down carbohydrates widely present in plant foods
Phytase breaks down phytic acid present in many difficult-to-digest grains and beans. Research supports the view that phytic acid present in plant foods interferes with digestion of proteins and utilization of many important minerals, such as zinc, magnesium, and iron
Beta-glucanase breaks down bulky beta-glucan molecules into smaller units
Bromelain, derived from pineapple, breaks down a broad variety of proteins
Papain, derived from papaya, also digests proteins into peptides and amino acids
Suggested Use:
Adults take 1-4 caplets with each meal, and 1-2 caplets with each snack.
