Live enzymes are often mentioned in discussions about nutrition for athletes, but what are they, why does anyone need them, and where do you get them? Enzymes are not vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats or protein, but they are catalysts for the chemical reactions that get those nutrients working in the body. While there are 1,300 different kinds of enzymes that help your body function, the most familiar are digestive enzymes. Equally important are metabolic enzymes that are critical to burning fat and generating energy.
Since energy is important to build muscle up, maintain a weight loss control program or stay physically fit, metabolic enzymes play a vital role in proper nutrition for athletes.
Metabolic enzymes originate in 5 areas of the body:
- the salivary glands
- stomach
- pancreas
- liver
- wall of the small intestine
Of course, digestive enzymes are essential live enzymes, too. If your body does not have enough, the organs change functions. The liver and the pancreas switch from making metabolic enzymes, so tasks like converting fat into energy are given a lower priority. That is not good for an athlete requiring nutrition to burn fat and generate energy. Live enzymes help provide essential nutrition for athletes to most effectively burn fat and create energy. According to Joseph Brasco, M.D., Gastroenterologist at the Center of Colon and Digestive Diseases in Huntsville, Alabama, "Because the pancreas and liver need energy to produce enzymes, the resulting drain renders the organs temporarily unable to perform their functions of detoxification, blood sugar control and fat burning". So, without those healthy, digestive, live enzymes and metabolic enzymes, you feel tired, get fat, and may even suffer from mood swings.
Fortunately, live enzymes are abundant in all natural, whole food formulas that provide perfectly natural nutrition for athletes. It is easy now to get concentrated nutrients with live enzymes from whole food sources. Some of the best natural foods and health drinks, available only online, have a strong regenerating effect on the liver and pancreas, as well as the adrenals, reproductive glands, nervous system and kidneys.
To understand why live enzymes are important in nutrition for athletes, you should understand the definition of enzymes from 'The Nutrition Almanac-4th Edition' (1996 McGraw Hill, Gayla J. Kirschmann and John D. Kirschmann), "The active chemicals in the digestive juices which cause the chemical breakdown of foods are called enzymes, combinations of amino acids that are capable of inducing chemical changes in other substances".
To make sure you are getting the right digestive juices to turn nutrients into energy, search for a health food store that offers nutrition for athletes with live enzymes from whole foods. Look for natural foods and health drinks that are made from real fruits, herbs and plants. Feed your body the nutrients it is crying out for with the live enzymes to help your body absorb those nutrients more effectively and it will perform better for you over the long term.
Author Profile-Cliff Smith and his wife Jane Wakefield are constantly researching the latest nutrition for athletes. Cliff and Jane offer information on more than 415 all natural health food products that are not typically sold in retail outlets. Jane is a breast cancer survivor and award winning tennis player who attributes her recovery to a diet of all natural foods. See this Press Release: Breast Cancer Survivor Is A Double Winner at American Cancer Society Hit for the Cure. Cliff is a serious mountain biker who covers hundreds of miles a month over rugged terrain in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. See the natural nutrition for athletes he recommends
***Feel free to reprint any of our original articles authored by Cliff Smith, but please include a link to our online health food store in return. Thank you!
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