nutrition nook
Digestive Enzymes These key nutrients can be used for pancreatic and GI issues, but are also beneficial for healthy patients eating heat-processed pet foods. • • • by Jean Hofve, DVM
The thousands of enzymes produced by the body aid in a wide variety of chemical reactions. There are two major classes of enzymes: metabolic and digestive. Digestive enzymes are produced primarily in the pancreas and released into the duodenum to help digest food coming from the stomach. The intestines themselves also secrete amylase and other digestive enzymes.
Their function in digestion Three main types of enzyme help break down macronutrients in food: 1. Protease, to break down protein 2. Lipase, to digest fat. 3. Amylase, to process carbohydrates. Most mammals produce amylase in the saliva, but dogs and cats do not. This reflects their expected diet of meat and organs from prey. Herbivores and omnivores have flat molars that crush and chew food, but the carnivore’s dentition is perfectly designed to capture and kill prey, and to rip and tear meat from bone. Carnivores don’t spend much time chewing; nor do they consume many carbohydrates, so there is no need for amylase in the mouth. In addition, all cells carry within them the means for their own destruction in the form of lysozymes. These packets of enzymes break open upon cell death, and help break down (digest) the contents of the cell, either for recycling (in a living body) or
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integrative veterinary care
