Digestive enzymes are special catalytic proteins that help the body break down food to utilise the complete spectrum of nutrients in food. Our lifestyles and diets are constantly changing. If the last 25 years are any indication, these changes are not usually for the best. Foods that would otherwise offer us their own added enzymes to help our bodies absorb more nutrients are increasingly processed, heated for extended shelf life and stripped of vital elements. The problem is that in making increasing numbers of foods “safe” for ingestion, we are in some cases making foods less healthy for our systems. Isotonix Digestive Enzymes provides the body with the additional essential enzymes necessary for maximum absorption of nutrients from the food we eat.

There are three basic food enzymes, each specifically targeting the digestion of a different kind of food molecule: Protease helps digest proteins; amylase helps digest starch; and lipase helps digest fats. There are also four specialty enzymes: lactase helps digest the sugar lactose in dairy products; maltase helps digest the sugar maltose in foods; sucrase helps digest table sugar and sugar found in fruits; and cellulase helps digest cellulose fibers. Each of these enzymes plays a significant part in the body’s overall health by helping to release specific and necessary nutrients into our bodies.

Even before we eat our body’s digestive action begins to take place. Simply smelling food activates our salivary glands (hence the term, “mouth watering”). As food enters the stomach, stomach acid and pepsin work together to begin breaking the food down into material to be used by the small intestine (where most nutrients are absorbed). Enzymes specific to each of the three nutrient groups are released at this stage, further breaking down the food and contributing to the digestive and absorption processes. These processes continue into the large intestine until the food’s nutritional content is extracted by the body.

Isotonix Digestive Enzymes with Probiotics is a beneficial supplement for all adults (18 years and over) looking to support their digestive health, especially those whose lifestyle consists of processed and fast foods. This is because such foods require the body to work harder to break them down.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus is a strain of probiotics that aids in balancing the gastrointestinal microflora. It is one of the most intensely studied bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. One of the remarkable things about L. rhamnosus is its ability to tolerate and even thrive in the harsh acidic conditions normally found in the stomach. L. rhamnosus is believed to be of considerable assistance with immune function in healthy adults, particularly in the urinary tract system (acidic condition). Research has shown that L. rhamnosus helps maintain gastric epithelial cell health, supporting the integrity of the stomach lining.