Last Updated on April 28, 2021 by ImmuneshieldAdmin
We consume food to fuel our bodies and fulfil nutritional requirements that help support our bodily functions such as organ health and the immune system. But how does nutrition get to our bodies through solid food that we consume? That is what digestive enzymes are for.
Digestive enzymes are secreted through our salivary gland and organs that make up the digestive system, including the stomach, intestine, pancreas.
How Do These Digestive Enzymes Work?
Digestive Enzymes serve as catalysts to support and streamline the human digestion process. These are chemicals that break complex food molecules into smaller nutrition cells and units, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream and transported all across the body. Then, each part and organ of the body takes up its desired nutrients from the blood.
Different enzymes perform their respective functions. Each enzyme breaks down a certain food group(s) into smaller units that serve the human body’s specific needs.
What Are These Enzymes?
Here’s a list of enzymes and the food group molecules they target to break them down into the smallest units which the blood can absorb in the end:
Lipase
Lipase is:
Produced inside the mouth and stomach in relatively smaller amounts, and more amounts are made inside the pancreas.
Responsible for breaking down complex fats into fatty acids and glycerol (simple sugar alcohol units).
Amylase
Amylase is:
Produced inside the pancreas and the mouth secreted by salivary glands.
Responsible fordigesting carbohydrates in the body. They break down starch into sugars.
Maltase
Maltase is:
Produced inside the small intestine and secreted by the glands in there.
Responsible for targeting maltose (malt sugar) into glucose (simple sugar). These sugars are then taken up and stored by the body to supply energy all over.
During the digestion process, Amylase converts starch partially into maltose, which then is converted by maltase into glucose. The body either absorbs this glucose instantly or stores it in the liver as glycogen for other purposes.
Sucrase
Sucrase is:
Produced inside the small intestine, found in the tiny hairy structures called the intestinal villi that line the intestine. The nutrients are transported to the body from here forth after the conversation.
Responsible for converting sucrose (complex sugar molecule) into fructose, glucose and simpler sugars, ready for absorption by the body.
Lactase
Lactase is:
Produced inside the intestinal tract, secreted by its lining cells called enterocytes.
Responsible forbreaking down lactose, a complex sugar group found in milk and other dairy foods, into simpler sugars like glucose and galactose.
Protease
Protease is:
Produced inside the stomach and pancreas and secreted by glands within these organs.
Responsible for converting proteins into amino acids. They also help in other functions like blood-clotting, immune support and cell-division.
The Bird’s Eyeview
Each digestive enzyme is responsible for breaking and converting a particular complex food molecule into simpler nutrients that the body requires for different purposes. Each of these enzymes works to streamline the digestion process to maximize nutrient absorption.
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