Like the engine of a car, the human body is a complicated machine. Now imagine what would happen to your engine if you never changed the oil. The contaminants would build up, the oil would become abrasive, and it wouldn’t be able to continue to do its job. Eventually, parts malfunction, and you might wind up with permanent engine failure. Just as clean oil increases the longevity of your car's engine, clean blood can improve the health and longevity of our bodies.

As children, our intestines act like a new oil filter, allowing nutrients from food into the blood while blocking harmful contaminants. Additionally, the liver, kidneys, spleen, and lymphatic system take part in this critical process of cleansing the blood. However, as we age, our bodies’ filtration systems begin to slow down, and our blood tends to become less and less clean over time. Undigested food particles, toxins, and other debris build up in the bloodstream, causing unwanted strain on the immune system.

Aside from eating right and taking care of all the body's filtration systems, we can also be proactive in cleansing the blood ourselves. Like changing the oil in our cars, we can keep our blood fresh and clean by supplementing with systemic enzymes.

What are Enzymes?

Enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts for the millions of chemical reactions essential for the body's survival and vitality. Nearly every bodily process throughout our lives depends on the proper functioning of several different enzymes, from breaking down food during digestion to building, maintaining, and repairing every cell and tissue throughout the body. 

There are two main types of supplemental enzymes. Digestive enzymes are responsible for breaking down food in our digestive tract to absorb and use its nutritional components for nourishment. These enzymes, including lipase, amylase, and protease, are also naturally produced by the pancreas. Unfortunately, production tends to decrease with increasing age. Like their digestive counterparts, systemic enzymes also serve to break down larger (macro) particles into much smaller (micro) nutrients. However, instead of being confined to the digestive tract, systemic enzymes are designed to survive degradation by stomach acid and other digestive processes to be taken up through the intestines and lymphatic system and spread throughout the body via the lymph circulatory systems [1].

The roughly five liters of blood that flow throughout the adult human body are essentially the river of life. Its currents help transport and distribute vital oxygen and nutrients to every cell and dispose of carbon dioxide and other cellular wastes. Just like with any river, if the wastes and toxins from the cells are not adequately cleared out of the bloodstream, often due to a lack of enzymes or sluggish liver function, the trash starts to build up, creating a sort of "dam" of the detoxification pathways vital for good health [1].

Supplementation with systemic enzymes supports healthy levels of cellular debris, circulating immune complexes, decayed or oxidized cells, fibrin, and fatty proteins in the blood [2-24].* Enzymes use a lock and key mechanism to adhere to and break down dead, decaying, or non-living particles, leaving living tissue undisturbed.* If the enzymatic key doesn't fit, which is the case with living tissue, the enzyme leaves it alone. Therefore, unlike some pharmaceutical chemicals that serve a purpose in supporting symptom reduction but are also potentially destructive to living tissues, enzymes naturally only target waste and excessive junk within the body without harming vital organs and tissues in the process.*

Some systemic enzymes function as circulatory purifiers, assisting in the digestion of debris from the cardiovascular system, which softens blood plasma and reduces stress on the arterial walls [20].* In addition, by digesting cellular debris such as fibrin and other proteins, systemic enzymes support normal healthy blood flow and viscosity [4-6].*

Nattokinase, a fibrinolytic enzyme, has been shown to aid in the breakdown of clotting factors such as fibrinogen, factor VII and factor VIII in healthy humans [7].* Bromelain, a pineapple extract, has been identified in animal and human studies to have properties that support normal blood viscosity, such as preventing the aggregation of platelets [8,9].* Serrapeptase is a proteolytic enzyme that helps break down fibrin and other proteins that can factor into adverse blood clotting, helps the body clear fluids related to overactive inflammatory responses, and supports physical comfort by blocking the release of bradykinin [25].* According to doctors who recommend systemic enzymes, there is an indication that their patients' blood shows similarities to the blood profiles of younger patients.*

Are Enzymes Safe?

No serious or adverse side effects have been reported from taking systemic or digestive enzymes.* Clinical studies have shown that even substantial doses of these enzymes are not toxic. If you take blood-thinning medication or are pregnant or nursing, you should consult with your physician before taking any enzyme supplement.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. For all conditions or illnesses, see a healthcare professional for a full evaluation, diagnosis or treatment plan.

 

References

 

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