Although there are thousands of enzymes in the human body, the greatest impact on the nutritional intake of bodybuilders is digestive enzymes. The lack of sufficient digestive enzymes not only makes food nutrients not fully absorbed and utilized, but also affects the body's synthetic muscles. effectiveness. Digestive enzymes are also called enzymes. Nutrients can be absorbed by intestinal cells in the digestive tract through different enzymes, and then transported to various tissues and organs in the body.
Generally speaking, the main digestive enzymes in the human body are the following categories:
Amylase
The digestive enzyme that digests and breaks down carbohydrates is amylase, which is a digestive enzyme secreted from the pancreas to help digestion and absorption of starch foods. Amylase can be divided into alpha amylase, beta amylase, amylopectin and glucoamylase, etc. Through these enzymes, starch can be completely broken down; in addition, the human body is a monogastric animal, so it is different from other Like stomach animals, starch degradation is mainly accomplished by endogenous alpha amylase.
Protease
The function of protein digestive enzymes is to break down the protein ingested by bodybuilders. When athletes eat, the stomach will begin to secrete powerful protein digestive enzymes to prepare for the digestion process. If such enzymes are lacking, no matter how much protein is taken in, there is no effect, so some protein nutrition supplements on the market, such as whey protein, will add some digestive enzymes in advance. Protein enzymes can be mainly classified into metal loexoaminopeptidases, metal loexocarboxyeptidases, serine endoproteases, and cysteine ​​endoproteinases ( Cysteini endoproteases, Carboxyl endoproteases, Metallo endoproteases, etc., each protein enzyme has a unique role due to different amino acid residues On specific peptide bonds, for example, trypsin enzymes (serine endoproteinases) can only hydrolyze lysine or arginine residues; meaning that any lack of any protein enzyme will Causes athletes' nutritional intake disorders.
Lipase
Lipase, also known as pancreatic lipase or lipase, is an enzyme that promotes the breakdown of fat. The enzymes that can decompose fat in the human body are lingual lipase, gastric lipase, pancreatic lipase, and the digestion of fat is mainly degraded by pancreatic fat ， It is secreted by the pancreas into the duodenum, and fat is broken down into glycerol and fatty acid during digestion, and then absorbed into the body through diffusion.
lactase
Because bodybuilders must often ingest dairy-derived proteins, such as whey protein, casein, etc., these protein products often contain unremoved lactose, so for athletes with lactose intolerance (Lactose Intolerance), Drinking these protein products can easily lead to diarrhea or indigestion, which is why the body lacks lactose digestive enzymes. In our intestines, the digestion of lactose is mainly based on the lactase enzyme at the top of the villi of the small intestine, which breaks down lactose into the most basic simple sugars, and then further absorbs it. When lactase is inadequate, undecomposed lactose becomes food for intestinal bacteria in the large intestine. When these bacteria digest lactose, they produce gases such as hydrogen and carbon dioxide, as well as substances such as lactic acid, water, and short-chain fatty acids. These large amounts of extra gas, water, and acid can cause vomiting, farting, bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and sour stools.
Cellulase
The role of fibrase is to break down fibrous matter, but before we discuss fibrase, we must first understand the importance of dietary fiber. The fiber we ingest daily can be divided into two categories, water-soluble and water-insoluble. The water-soluble dietary fibers include semi-fibrous, pectin, and algae, such as fruits and vegetables, cereals, beans and so on. The water-insoluble dietary fiber includes fiber, wood, gum, viscose, etc. For example, beans, vegetables, fruits, and rhizome foods all contain water-insoluble dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is very important for bodybuilders, because athletes usually have to eat a lot of food, especially protein, which easily results in the accumulation of toxins in the body and the burden of the digestive tract. If athletes lack dietary fiber in their food, it may cause The lives of athletes have been shortened for several years. Although dietary fiber is very important, the human body cannot manufacture any fiber enzymes to digest dietary fiber. Although a small amount of these dietary fibers can be decomposed and digested by bacteria in our intestines (bacteria will produce secreted fiber enzymes by themselves), Most fibers are excreted by the body. Although the human body cannot digest dietary fiber, dietary fiber is still extremely important. Generally speaking, dietary fiber absorbs water in the digestive tract, and absorbs other residues, indigestible waste, food additives, toxins, carcinogens, harmful substances, etc., forming objects like soft clay, which can stimulate the intestine The peristalsis of the channel expels these unhelpful wastes out of the body. To sum up, the trace amount of fibrase in the human body is made by intestinal bacteria, and the decomposed fiber is only a simple carbohydrate, which has little effect on the human body. Therefore, it is not necessary to supplement fibrase. Instead, Eat more dietary fiber.