How Aging And Eating Processed Foods Dramatically Lowers Crucial Digestive Enzymes Levels

Feeling Sluggish Because You’re Low on Enzymes?

We often talk about vitamins and minerals when discussing health, but enzymes—the tiny biological catalysts responsible for nearly every function in the body—rarely get the spotlight they deserve.

Without enzymes, your food wouldn’t break down, nutrients wouldn’t absorb, and your cells couldn’t generate energy. Yet many people today, especially those who eat highly processed diets or are advancing in age, may be falling short on key enzymes.

Could your sluggish digestion, chronic fatigue, or food sensitivities be signaling an enzyme imbalance?

What Enzymes Do and Why They Matter

Enzymes are specialized proteins that accelerate biochemical reactions in the body. Digestive enzymes… like amylase, lipase, and protease… break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in the food we eat. But enzymes aren’t limited to the gut. They also regulate immune responses, detoxify the liver, repair tissues, and even help eliminate cancer cells.

There are three broad categories of enzymes we rely on: digestive enzymes (produced in the pancreas and small intestine), metabolic enzymes (found in cells throughout the body), and food enzymes (naturally present in raw fruits, vegetables, and fermented foods).

When these enzyme systems are in balance, your body hums like a well-tuned engine. But when they’re depleted or missing, problems begin to stack up.

How Processed Foods Rob Us of Enzymes

Very important… The modern diet is largely enzyme-dead. Cooking food at temperatures above 118°F destroys nearly all naturally occurring food enzymes. Highly processed items… boxed snacks, frozen dinners, sweetened beverages… contain little to no enzymatic activity. This puts the full burden of digestion on your body’s own enzyme reserves.

Over time, this can lead to what some nutritionists call “enzyme fatigue.” Your pancreas has to work overtime to digest what should have been partially broken down before it even reached your stomach. Please read that again, this is crucial!

The result? Gas, bloating, sluggishness, nutrient malabsorption, and chronic digestive disorders. For people living on microwaved meals, fast food, and shelf-stable snacks, this is a serious concern.

Aging and Enzyme Decline

As we get older, our ability to produce enzymes naturally declines. Pancreatic output of digestive enzymes can fall by as much as 50% by the time we reach our 50s or 60s.

This might explain why older adults often experience more digestive complaints—even when their diets haven’t changed dramatically.

Reduced enzyme production can lead to downstream issues like food sensitivities, intestinal inflammation, and a weakened immune system. The liver and kidneys… both of which depend on metabolic enzymes… may also become less efficient, leading to a buildup of toxins and increased susceptibility to chronic disease.

Naturally Boosting Enzyme Levels

Thankfully, there are natural ways to replenish and support healthy enzyme levels. Eating more raw and fermented foods is the most direct strategy. Raw fruits like pineapple and papaya are rich in proteolytic enzymes like bromelain and papain, which help digest proteins. Fermented vegetables like sauerkraut and kimchi not only add probiotics but also contain active enzymes.

Soaking and sprouting nuts, seeds, and grains before consumption can also reduce anti-nutrients and increase enzymatic activity. Freshly pressed juices and raw vegetable smoothies offer a quick enzyme infusion, particularly when consumed on an empty stomach.

Some people also benefit from enzyme supplements, especially if they’ve had their gallbladder removed, suffer from chronic pancreatitis, or have conditions like IBS or leaky gut. However, supplementation should be done mindfully and ideally under the supervision of a healthcare provider.

Can You Have Too Many Enzymes?

While most people with digestive issues benefit from enzyme support, there’s a caveat… especially for the young and otherwise healthy.

Taking high doses of digestive or systemic enzymes when your body already produces plenty can upset the natural balance. Over-supplementation may reduce your body’s own enzyme production over time or cause unwanted side effects like nausea, acid reflux, or diarrhea.

For this reason, enzyme supplements should not be viewed as a daily multivitamin. They’re tools, not crutches. If you’re young, active, and eating a balanced diet rich in raw and whole foods, you likely don’t need extra enzymes. Listen to your body, and if your digestion is humming along smoothly, there’s no need to fix what isn’t broken.

If you want to dive deeper into this, several digestive enzyme tests are available. Here are some methods that can help evaluate digestive enzyme function. Kinda fun, right?

1. Stool Elastase Test: This test measures the level of elastase, an enzyme produced by the pancreas, in a stool sample. Low levels of elastase can indicate exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, which means the pancreas is not producing enough digestive enzymes.
2. Fecal Fat Test: This test measures the amount of fat in a stool sample. High levels of fat can indicate malabsorption, which may be due to insufficient digestive enzymes.
3. Hydrogen Breath Test: This test can help diagnose conditions like lactose intolerance or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), which can affect digestive enzyme function.
4. Blood Tests: Certain blood tests can measure levels of specific enzymes or markers that indicate pancreatic function. For example, elevated levels of lipase or amylase in the blood can indicate pancreatitis, which may affect digestive enzyme production.
5. Endoscopic Procedures: Procedures like endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) can provide detailed images of the pancreas and bile ducts, helping to diagnose conditions that affect digestive enzyme production.
6. Genetic Testing: Some people may have genetic conditions that affect digestive enzyme production, such as cystic fibrosis. Genetic testing can help identify these conditions.
7. Salivary Enzyme Test: This test measures the levels of amylase in saliva, which can indicate how well the body is producing this enzyme.
8. Gastric Analysis: This test measures the acidity and enzyme levels in the stomach, which can help diagnose conditions like achlorhydria (lack of stomach acid) or hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid), which can affect digestive enzyme function.

Conclusion: Finding the Enzyme Sweet Spot

It’s important to realize that enzymes are vital to health and healthy aging, but their optimal presence in your body is far from guaranteed…especially in a world of ultra-processed foods and increasing life expectancy.

By understanding the signs of enzyme depletion and knowing how to restore your body’s natural reserves, you can dramatically improve digestion, boost energy, and support your body’s innate ability to heal and detoxify.

The goal isn’t to flood your system with enzymes indiscriminately. (a mistake many athletes make with steroids and testosterone, which usually end tragically) Instead, support your body’s own production by eating enzyme-rich foods, avoiding overcooked or processed meals, and supplementing wisely if signs of deficiency appear. As with most things in nature, balance is pretty darn important.

Source: https://www.offthegridnews.com/off-grid-foods/how-aging-and-eating-processed-foods-dramatically-lowers-crucial-digestive-enzymes-levels/