Enzymes and Diet

Enzymes are proteins used by the body to help break down food in order to provide energy to body cells. Proponents of the "raw-food diet" believe that a diet consisting solely of raw foods is superior to a diet that contains cooked foods because enzymes found in food break down when heated. Scientific studies demonstrating the validity of this belief are lacking as of 2010.

Enzymes and Digestion

Enzymes act as catalysts--that is, they get a chemical or metabolic reaction rolling without being changed themselves. Digestive enzymes help the body begin the process of digesting food, or breaking down food particles into glucose molecules. Glucose is then broken down further in order to harvest energy for body functions.

According to enzymestuff.com, if food is not properly digested, it can cause a buildup of bacteria in the stomach, immune system problems and other health problems. Enzymestuff.com also says that the body can suffer from having to devote too much energy to digestion because of poor enzyme production.

Where Do Digestive Enzymes Come From?

The article "Digestive Enzymes" on the website healthyrecipes.com says that digestive enzymes are produced naturally in the body as well as taken from food during the digestion process. According to this article, we do not get enough enzymes from food because of the use of herbicides and pesticides on food products.

Raw-Food Diet

Some alternative health-care practitioners recommend a raw-food diet. The raw-food diet requires that people eat as much raw food as possible. The theory behind this diet is that cooking food breaks down enzymes so that the body cannot gain digestion enzymes via eating.

According to an article on healingdaily.com, a website devoted to alternative health practices, cooking food renders digestive enzymes unusable and requires the body to devote more energy to digestion than a raw food diet would do.

Science and Raw-Food Diet

As of May 2010, there are no scientific studies backing up the claims made on pro-raw-food diet sites. Dr. Paul Kouchakoff, a Swiss medical doctor, studied 10 patients in 1930 and concluded that cooking food was harmful to the immune system because more white blood cells appeared to be generated in patients who did not eat raw foods. However, Kouchakoff's study involved a small sample size, and his paper does not describe the experiment in sufficient detail for it to be replicated.

Enzyme Supplements and Digestion

People who suffer from digestive problems sometimes take enzyme supplements rather than changing their diet to help them digest food more easily. According to enzymestuff.com, enzyme supplements are not effective because they are man-made. The site says that the body may reject the supplement as a toxin or otherwise not digest it properly.