Pancreatic Enzymes: What They Do and Why You Need Them

 We all have times when we eat too much — holiday meals, for example. While the body can handle occasional overeating, doing it on a regular basis causes more harm than just weight gain. When you eat, your organs must secrete digestive enzymes to break down all that delicious food into useful nutrients. Overeating or drinking to excess strains the pancreas and other organs.

Pancreatic enzymes play an essential role in digestion, which, of course, plays a role in how healthy your body is. Food is fuel! Pancreatic enzymes help break down all the macronutrients you eat — fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

The pancreas is a glandular organ inside the abdomen. You might know that it releases insulin and glucagon, hormones that keep your blood sugar level stable.[2] But the pancreas also secretes enzymes that digest your food.[1]

When you eat, your pancreas produces pancreatic juice that contains several enzymes. Although most pancreatic enzymes assist digestion, not all digestive enzymes are made in the pancreas. The stomach, small intestines, and tongue also produce digestive enzymes.

Your body has three types of pancreatic enzymes: lipolytic, amylolytic, and proteolytic. Those are big words that have simple meanings. The root “lytic” means to break apart, and “lipo” refers to lipids (fats). Thus, lipolytic enzymes break down fats. “Amylo” is a Latin root word that means starch; Amylolytic enzymes work on carbohydrates. And proteolytic enzymes break down proteins.

Once large pieces of food get broken into smaller ones, the body can absorb and use their nutrients for energy or as the building blocks of organs and tissues.[3] Let’s take a closer look at each of the three pancreatic enzymes....<<<Read More>>>...