Digestive Enzymes or BAC?

The Martial Art of Wellness
Volume 15 – May 2016

(Archive of Previous BioNews)

DEAR FRIENDS

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

” The uniformity of the earth’s life, more astonishing than its diversity, is accountable by the high probability that we derived, originally, from some single cell, fertilized in a bolt of lightning as the earth cooled. It is from the progeny of this parent cell that we take our looks; we still share genes around, and the resemblance of the enzymes of grasses to those of whales is a family resemblance.“

– Lewis Thomas, The Lives of a Cell (1974), 5.

THIS ISSUE’S TESTIMONIAL

“ I have to share my good news with you! Kinga my elderly Rhodesian Ridgeback (12 years old) has had a problem for the past few years with very loose stools and *very* stinky gas. I figured he was getting old, so his digestion wasn’t as efficient as when he was younger. He is raw fed, so I know he’s getting good quality food and nutrition. Someone suggested that I give him digestive enzymes. That didn’t help. Then it was suggested that I give him probiotics. That didn’t help either. So I started giving him BAC two months ago. There were no other changes to his diet; he doesn’t get any supplements. The other day I realized that he doesn’t have loose stools anymore!

And there’s NO MORE STINKY GAS!!! WHOOPIE!!!!

But wait there is more! He recently had an abscessed tooth and was taking antibiotics for it. The vet said the antibiotics usually don’t work so he told me what they usually do is extract the tooth. Since Kinga is 12 yrs old, I did *not* want him to undergo surgery! So I started giving him an increased number of capsules per day. Voila!  The abscess was gone in less than 2 weeks. Yup, it’s definitely worth $25 a bottle. ”

– Gail C., Kinga, and Kizzy

THE MARTIAL ART OF WELLNESS: Digestive Enzymes or BAC?

“Are there any enzymes in BAC?”

and the answer is

“Yes, there are over 4000 enzymes in BAC.”

What are enzymes?

Enzymes are specialized protein molecules, which catalyze chemical reactions in and out of cells in order to facilitate the many bio-chemical processes necessary to support life. Enzymes are classified in major categories:

Plant enzymes, from raw plants, play many roles in enhancing the body’s vitality and efficiency of digestion. There are thousands of known plant enzymes, and thousands yet to be identified.  Plant enzymes come in four major categories, one that is extremely important is cellulase that our body cannot produce, which helps breaking down plant cellulose.

There are thousands of known and many thousands yet unknown enzymes in raw food that play important role supporting the body with digestion and immune system

Digestive enzymes, are extracellular enzymes synthesized in the cell of the body, but secreted from the cell to work externally. For example, digestive enzyme produced by cells within the pancreas, are not used by the cells in the pancreas but are transported to the duodenum. As their name implies, digestive enzymes help you break down food into smaller parts that can be absorbed, transported and utilized by every cell in your body. Specific digestive enzymes serve to assimilate carbohydrates, proteins and fats, as well as to promote a robust immune system.

Our body produces on its own more than 22 known digestive enzymes. Most are capable of digesting protein, carbohydrates, sugars, and fats and contribute to the immune system

Systemic enzymes – The word “systemic” means body wide. Systemic enzymes are those that operate not just for digestion but throughout your body in every system and organ.  The majority are intra-cellular enzymes, synthesized just like protein, as needed inside your cells, where they help the cell carry out a variety of functions related to its protection, respiration, energy, reproduction and replenishment. They are found in the cytoplasm, nucleus, mitochondria and chloroplast of cells. Example: Oxydoreductase catalyses biological oxidation, enzymes involved in reduction in the mitochondria.  And there are thousands of extra-cellular enzymes like digestive enzymes synthesized in the cell of the body, and secreted from the cell to work externally.

Enzymes work together as a great systemic family

In a healthy individual, all categories of enzymes along with all nutritional substances from vitamins to amino acids etc. work together in a synergistic (collaborative) manner in order to promote and maintain a healthy body. Since the various nutritional substances work together, a weakness in one group of substances tends to interfere in the efficiency of other substances throughout the system. Most enzymes act together as “co-enzymes”, or as “co-factors” with vitamins, minerals and trace minerals to optimize bodily processes. A deficiency in a specific enzyme can cause poor performance by other nutrients, which are dependent on the enzyme.

” Few scientists acquainted with the chemistry of biological systems at the molecular level can avoid being inspired. Evolution has produced chemical compounds exquisitely organized to accomplish the most complicated and delicate of tasks. Many organic chemists viewing crystal structures of enzyme systems or nucleic acids and knowing the marvels of specificity of the immune systems must dream of designing and synthesizing simpler organic compounds that imitate working features of these naturally occurring compounds. ” – Donald Cram

Man is the only animal that cooks his food

Did you know heat is an enemy to enzymes, and that processing and cooking destroy enzymes in food. Enzymes begin to break down at a temperature of 118 degrees and are totally destroyed at 120 degrees. This includes the process of pasteurization, sterilization, and commercial food prep. (This is where many of our digestive issues stem from.)  Catering and commercial cooking uses extremely high temperatures in the cooking and cleaning process to reduce the threat of bacteria.  Nevertheless, the breakdown of enzymes can come through our own home cooking. The enzymes our bodies desperately need get destroyed through extreme heat, which cause our digestive systems to suffer. Enzymes as they are sensitive to heat and are the first nutrients destroyed during cooking. They are also rendered useless or/and destroyed by pasteurizing, canning and microwaving. Raw plant food is the best source for plant enzymes and today most nutritionists recommend a partial diet of uncooked plant food.

Eating a diet predominantly made up of cooked foods creates a lack of plant enzymes in the digestive tract, which leads to a number of conditions, one of which is inflammation in its many manifestations. This lack of enzymes leads to certain foods and proteins remaining undigested, and to remain in the bowels undigested. As the undigested food remains in the intestines, it may stay there for a long time, decomposing into toxic materials. These toxic substances are absorbed by the blood and sent to the liver to be detoxified. The liver is overworked and unable to detoxify the entire blood system, which results in toxins roaming freely throughout the body.

The best form of enzymes supplementation is from raw (and/or lightly cooked) plant foods. In plant foods enzymes occur balanced and complete. In most plant food, there are usually at least enough to assist in the digestion of the food item that it belongs to. In plants, there are hundreds of times more enzymes and diversity (then in man made supplement form), many that are not yet identified by science. These enzymes in plants occur alongside many naturally balanced brothers and sisters (vitamins, proteins, trace minerals, good essential fats, and many other nutrients) for much greater synergistic bio-availability.

When consuming BAC, the brain engages and enzymes kick in

Within minutes of consuming Bio-Algae Concentrates (BAC), its thousands of nutrients/enzymes begin contributing to the efficiency of various metabolisms in our body, including the digestion of fats, carbohydrates and proteins, permitting greater assimilation of nutrients and better elimination of toxins. Even though BAC provides a host of enzymes that facilitate digestion, I want you to NOT view BAC as simply “supplementing digestive enzymes to patch a weak digestive system.” I encourage you to rather view the greater systemic benefits of consuming BAC, i.e. “fixing the root cause(s) of weak digestion.” Consuming BAC helps in restoring the digestive function from a broader bio-energetic and systemic place.

The enzymes in BAC serve much more than digestion

From this bio-energetic place, the nutrients/enzymes in BAC are recognized by the body as “real” long before BAC reaches the stomach.  As soon as the brain cells of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary Axis (HPA) smell or detect that you are eating BAC, hormonal signals are sent to glands and organs to start the digestive juices. Somewhat like the drooling of a dog when smelling food, salivary enzymes engage, stomach juices are released, and the pancreas is ready to handle the nutrients coming down the digestive track. Because BAC contains no bulk, fiber or fillers, the benefits from its nutrients/enzymes manifest quickly, long before those from enzyme supplement tablets are even broken down in the stomach.

The Hypothalamus-Pituitary Axis (HPA) regulates via feedback mechanism all organs, the central nervous system and all endocrine glands of the body

BAC contains over 4000 enzymes

20 years ago experts estimated that there was over 50,000 enzymes to be discovered along with their usefulness.  Today we believe this number to be over 100,000, while scientists have only identified around 3,000. With that said, there is no doubt that thousands of whole food nutrients and 4,000+ enzymes in BAC play many roles and have myriad more benefits than just a digestive enzyme supplement, which may contain only half a dozen digestive enzymes per tablet.

Among many such benefits, consuming BAC will improve digestion in supporting the body normalizing to the correct pH levels. The normal stomach pH level should be 2. Most frequently, as it is in America, it is 1.8, 1.7, even as low as 1.5 (too acidic). With a pH=2, enzymes will serve longer the assimilation process. But better assimilation is not the only benefit of consuming BAC.  Yet, in regards to assimilation and digestion, BAC contributes to all digestive metabolisms, such as in those listed next:

• The BAC nutrients rapidly and efficiently nourishes the cells making up the hypothalamus/pituitary axis (HPA). With acquired nutritional/energy, the HPA oversees/stimulates all endocrine glands, among other the salivary glands and the pancreas, principal organ/gland of digestion that synthesizes digestive enzymes.
• The HPA also stimulate the pancreas/gallbladder team to deliver alkalizing elements for balanced pH.
• The energized HPA reinforces a strong stomach intrinsic factor for proper intestinal pH, better nutrient re-absorption (as in B12), and friendly bacterial balance.
• The HPA in feedback loop helps improve the oscillation of the villi hairs in the intestines for increased nutrient absorption.

The usual digestive enzyme supplements do not supply these larger benefits. It is these “extra” benefits, not just contributing enzymes to the assimilation process, that makes BAC “the culmination in cellular nutrition” rather than a just another pill supplementing the deficiency of digestive enzyme symptoms.

The enzymes in BAC serve much more then digestion

The cyanobacteria and Dunaliella algae in BAC contain thousands of known and unknown naturally occurring enzymes, hundreds of time more than any other food or combination of foods on earth. Some of these enzymes are critically important for health, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD). SOD is an iron-containing enzyme that supports important body-cell processes and also protects the cells from free radicals. Fruits and vegetables contains just enough enzymes to support self-breakdown as in the apple turning brown after falling from the tree. These enzymes in food are critical for digestion in humans and animals. Without enzymes in food, our digestive system must work harder to break down the foods to obtain its nutrients. Often our foods go on being undigested due to lack of enzymes. Very few foods contain more enzymes then required for self-breakdown. Papaya is one of those exception with its large amount of the papain enzyme. But as far as enzyme goes, nothing comes close to the microalgae in BAC that contain inexplicably large amounts of enzymes.

Additionally, other than to serve in digestion, most enzymes found in BAC are stored, transformed and used by our body for many other important life sustaining functions. The combination of microalgae in BAC include DNA, RNA, SOD, Glycolipids and many other important enzymes. In BAC, Spirulina is one such alga that contains as many as 2,000 enzymes.

Among many other important enzymes identified in Spirulina are restriction enzymes. Restriction enzymes (endonucleases) work like scissors to cut the DNA of invading enemy microbes. Researchers in genetic engineering use restriction enzymes to cut DNA at precise locations. A unique restriction enzyme in spirulina called Spl-1 is not found in any other microbe, bacteria, fungi or algae. Japanese scientists extract Spl-1 from living spirulina, and sell it as a reagent for genetic research in laboratories and institutes. A theory proposed to explain spirulina’s long life is the role of restriction enzymes. By cutting the DNA of invading enemy microbes, restriction enzymes may have been good weapons against microalgae’s ecological enemies for 3.5 billion years.

Spirulina as it occurs in BAC contains numerous characteristic peripheral inclusions associated to thylakoids. Those are: cyanophycin granules, polyhedral bodies, polyglucan granules, lipid granules, and polyphosphate granules. The cyanophycin granules, or reserve granules, are important due to their chemical nature and a series of pigments. The polyhedral bodies or carboxysomes mainly contain the enzyme ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase that allows the fixation of CO2 in photosynthetic organisms and probably carry out a reserve function. The polyglucan granules or glycogen granules or a-granules are glucose polymers, small, circular and widely diffused in the interthylacoidal space. The lipid granules, b-granules or osmophile granules form the reservation deposit, constituted by poly-b-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), found only in prokaryotes. PHB acts as a carbon and energy reserve (Balloni, et al., 1980; Ciferri, 1983 and Vincenzini, et al., 1990).

Many other enzymes/nutrients present in BAC, and their potential benefits have not been identified nor explained yet.  In knowing that BAC is a whole food, I rest assured that all of its known and unknown enzymes/nutrients contribute to the extraordinary efficiency of BAC as undeniably proven in the long years of research.

References:

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