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Plant Enzyme Therapy and Absorption
of Undigested Food Substrates in the Bloodstream! |
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Research Paper By Douglas D. Grant.
The benefits of supplemental plant enzymes on your health and
blood have been documented in numerous research studies. Most
of the excitement and knowledge of this vital nutritional factor
stems back to the work of biochemist, Dr. Edward Howell whose
extensive, pioneer study in the enzyme concept began more than
50 years ago. His work and that of other noted researchers has
shown the benefits of supplemental plant enzymes on various conditions
of the body, particularly as they relate to the digestion and
assimilation of foods..
Recent research has been increasingly more specific, focusing
on different types and sources of plant enzymes, including various
protease, lipase, carbohydrase, and cellulase preparations. Both
in vitro and controlled in vivo studies using internal and parenteral
routes have examined the effectiveness of these enzymes in a wide
range of conditions including maldigestion, malabsorption, pancreatic
insufficiency, steatorrhea, celiac disease, lactose intolerance,
arterial obstruction and thrombotic disease. Reports from doctors
across the nation indicate that plant enzymes are being used in
an even broader spectrum of clinical conditions.
Data from various studies and clinical applications verify the
efficacy of plant enzymes for a broad spectrum of conditions.
An English study showed a small dose of acid-stable lipase from
plant sources (400 mg) was as effective as a 25 times larger dosage
of conventional pancreatin (10,000 mg) in the treatment of malabsorption,
malnutrition and steatorrhea due to pancreatic exocrine insufficiency
. Unlike pancreatin, plant enzyme lipase delivers enzyme activity
in the broad PH range from 3 to 9. It safely digests fat in pancreatic
insufficiency patients, beginning in the stomach and continuing
in the abnormal acidic conditions commonly found in the duodenum
and jejunum.
Human and animal studies have compared the effectiveness of acid-stable
lipase from various fungal species with that of pancreatin in
the treatment of malabsorption and steatorrhea due to pancreatic
insufficiency. Administered orally at mealtime, plant lipase has
been found to be effective in these conditions and to offer certain
advantages over both conventional and enteric- coated pancreatic
enzyme replacement therapy.
Chronic pancreatitis and cystic fibrosis are the most common
causes of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. (1) Pancreatogenic
steatorrhea I malabsorption, impaired nutrition, weight loss and
considerable social embarrassment.
Protease enzymes dramatically improve chronically obstructed
arteries m humans. (1, 2, 3) Numerous cross-over, single-blind
and placebo studies have confirmed this. (4, 5) Intravenous therapy
with plant protease is dramatically more effective than anti-coagulant
therapy (e.g.; heparin, warfarin) at re-canalizing obstructed
arteries and improving blood flow through stenosed arterial segments.
(4, 13, 15)
Amylase enzymes from plant source are effective in vitro in the
treatment of celiac disease. By enzymatically cleaving the toxic
carbohydrate portion of gliadin, plant amylase preparations render
grains like wheat and rye virtually harmless to individuals with
gluten enteropathy. (10, 17)
With the prevalence and wide range of documented research, it
is obvious that plant enzymes benefit specific conditions in the
body. Much of this research has gone unrecognized by some health
care professionals, particularly the research dealing with the
intact absorption of food substrates. This research proves undoubtedly
that non-digested food substrates do enter the blood and that
plant enzymes can greatly benefit the bloodstream by breaking
down different food substrates that otherwise would passed into
the blood without being fully digested.
Macromolecules can and do pass intact from the human gut into
the bloodstream under normal conditions (18-23, 25) This has been
described as the "leaky bowel" phenomenon and may help
to explain the apparent effectiveness of plant enzyme therapy
in the nutritional management of conditions, including food allergies,
immune dysfunction and certain inflammatory bowel disease. (18,
19, 35-43)
Pure plant enzymes ( molecular weight approximately 35,000) are
fully absorbed following oral administration. These proteases
exhibit the same properties in the bloodstream as in other applications.
This includes the ability to hydrolyze dietary proteins and polypeptides
which have leaked into the bloodstream as food antigens. Protease
shows anti-inflammatory properties (5, 8 , 9, 12, 14, ) and has
been shown to be effective when administered intravenously in
re-establishing circulation through chronically obstructed arteries
in humans. (4, 13)
Other animal and human studies have shown that numerous specific
whole proteins, including plant and animal enzymes, are absorbed
intact into the bloodstream following oral administration. These
include human albumin and lactalbumin, bovine, albumin, ovalbumin,
lactoglobulin, ferritin (M.A. 500,000), chymotrypsinogen, elastase,
and other large molecules, such as botulism toxin (M. 1,000,000).
(18-20, 24, 32-34) Even inert particles, such as carbon particles
from India ink, (and whole viruses (26) can cross the healthy
intestine.
Proteins and polypeptide's absorbed intact from the gut can exert
pharmacological effects on target tissues. Several peptide hormones
are known to be biologically active when administered orally,
including luteinizing hormone releasing factor and thyrotropin
releasing hormone. (27, 28) Insulin can cross the intestinal mucosa
intact and produce significant hypoglycemia under limited circumstances
( e.g.: in the presence of protease inhibitors or hypertonic solutions
in the intestinal lumen). (29, 30)
There is strong evidence that the body seeks to conserve its
digestive enzymes by absorbing intact endogenous and exogenous
pancreatic enzymes, trypsin and chymotrypsin and are absorbed
intact into the bloodstream in an enzymatically active form following
oral administration.
Even more dramatic is the finding that both endogenous and exogenous
pancreatic enzymes are not only absorbed intact from the gut,
but also transported through the bloodstream, taken up intact
by pancreatic secretory cells, and re-secreted into the intestinal
lumen by the pancreas, co- mixed with newly synthesized pancreatic
enzymes.(31) The existence of this enteropancreatic circulation
of proteolytic enzymes is closely analogous to the "recycling"
of bile salts by the liver.
By digesting dietary protein, plant enzymes administered orally
at mealtime work to decrease the supply of antigenic macromolecule's
available to leak into the bloodstream. In addition, orally administered
plant enzymes which have, by themselves, been absorbed intact
may help to "digest" antigenic dietary proteins which
they encounter in the bloodstream. Further research is needed
to evaluate the role of plant enzymes in the treatment of food
allergies.
The considerable exists supporting the biological and therapeutic
importance of the "leaky bowel" phenomenon and the role
of plant enzyme therapy. The intact absorption of orally administered
foods and plant enzymes can no longer be reasonably denied.
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Enzyme
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