Wonder Element - Enzymes
In the crucial life sustaining process of our body, enzymes play a very important role. It is a sort of ‘Change Agent’. Enzymes are an indispensable part of our digestive system. In Sri Anand Yoga (SAY), Enzymes play a very important role. SAY lays great emphasis on ‘increasing our capacity to enjoy life rather than recklessly adding up the stockpile of resources to enjoy it’. Taking this philosophy further to the health and wellbeing of our physical body the ‘digestions of the food we intake’ is far more important than the quantity and type of food we consume. Therefore the most crucial element in our digestive system - the Enzymes assumes a very important role in SAY.
In this note, we will examine the medical science with respect to the enzymes.
Enzymes /ˈɛnzaɪmz/ are both proteins and biological catalysts (biocatalysts). In reality enzymes are the catalysts of life. Catalysts accelerate chemical reactions.All of the biological processes inside our cells are caused by enzymes. Enzymes are the key component of our cells. A bacterium like E. coli has about 1,000 different types of enzymes floating around in the cytoplasm at any given time.There are approximately 1300 different types of enzymes found in the human cell. Each type of enzyme has a specific function. These enzymes can combine with coenzymes to form nearly 100,000 various chemicals. They enable us to see, hear, feel, move, digest food, and think. Every organ, every tissue, and all the 100 trillion cells in our body depend upon the reactions of metabolic enzymes and their energy factor. Enzymes have to play a very crucial role in giving nutrition to the body. They are essential for respiration, digesting food, muscle and nerve function, among thousands of other roles.
Enzymes increase the rate of conversion of raw material into finished product to a very substantial extent. In some cases it may even cause a millions of times faster conversion process.
Lack of even a single type of enzyme can cause serious deficiency in the corresponding digestive process. For example, the lack of enzyme lactose will cause intolerance of milk and dairy products.
Enzymes play a very important role in DNA replication. Each cell in our body contains DNA. Each time a cell divides, that DNA needs to be copied. Enzymes help in this process by unwinding the DNA coils and copying the information.
In the digestive system enzymes help the body break down larger complex molecules into smaller molecules, such as glucose, so that the body can use them as fuel. These enzymes are secreted by the various parts of our digestive system and they help to break down food components such as proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. This breakdown allows the nutrients from foods to be absorbed into our bloodstreams so that they can support the functioning of all of the cells in our bodies.
It is very interesting to note that digestive enzymes are released in both anticipation of food and in response to food. This means that just thinking about or looking at food is enough to get your juices flowing! As we smell and eventually taste our food, the number of enzymes that are being secreted increases. The sight of food or even the thinking of our favourite food causes the secretion of enzymes in anticipation of the party. This is the first phase of the digestive process. It is called the cephalic phase, It is controlled by the neural response to the stimulus from sight, sense, smell of food or even the thought of food. It results in salivation as well as the secretion of gastric juices. The central nervous system prepares the stomach to receive food.Enzymes are secreted from our salivary glands, and then from the cells lining our stomach, pancreas, and large and small intestines. Different types of enzymes are secreted depending on the types of foods that we eat. They cause splitting up of large food molecules into their micro ‘building block’ components. These are then absorbed through the gut wall and into the bloodstream for transport to the liver and from there to other parts of the body.
Liver enzymes break down toxins in the body. To do this, it uses a range of enzymes. From drugs and alcohol to unknown foreign substances, the liver helps filter and detoxify the materials not meant to be in our body. Ensuring toxins are safely removed from your blood is one of the liver’s most critical jobs.
Enzymes have a very major impact on our emotional well being. Their deficiency can cause a person to be grouchy, grumpy, nasty, distracted or forgetful. This was the finding from the research done at the Brain Mind Institute (BMI) at EPFL. They have highlighted a fundamental synaptic mechanism. It explains the relationship between chronic stress and the loss of social skills and cognitive impairment. When triggered by stress, an enzyme attacks a synaptic regulatory molecule in the brain. These findings were published in Nature Communications.
Sri Anand Yoga lays great emphasis on self healing rather than the dependence on medicines and external intervention. The role enzymes play in maintaining our body is very important in achieving this state. Various exercises,processes and systems in SAY greatly help in boosting the power of enzymes.
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