Isotonix® Digestive Enzymes with Probiotics

Frequently Asked Questions About Isotonix® Digestive Enzyme Formula with Probiotics:

What are digestive enzymes?

Digestive enzymes are special catalytic proteins that help your body break down food to utilize the complete spectrum of nutrients in the food we eat. Unfortunately, food enzymes, which are sensitive to heat, are usually inactivated when food is cooked to serve. This leaves your body with the challenge of trying to break down foods for absorption into your system with no help from the natural enzymes that would otherwise be present in many of the foods we eat. While your body can break down foods with no help, it may put additional strain on your system. Isotonix Digestive Enzyme Formula with Probiotics acts to supplement and maximize the activity of the body’s own enzymes and the "friendly" bacteria our bodies need in an easy-to-take, pleasant-tasting drink.

Our lifestyles and diets are constantly changing. If the last 25 years are any indication, these changes are not usually for the best. Foods that would otherwise offer us their own added enzymes to help our bodies absorb more nutrients are increasingly processed, heated for extended shelf life and stripped of vital elements. The problem is that in making increasing numbers of foods "safe" for ingestion, we are in some cases making foods less healthy for our systems. This means our bodies now need to work harder to absorb the same nutritional content as it may have just a few years ago. Isotonix Digestive Enzyme Formula with Probiotics helps your body replenish all the essential enzymes and "good" bacteria necessary for maximum absorption of nutrients from the food we eat.*

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

What are enzymes?

Enzymes are the workhorses of our cells. They are proteins that catalyze many thousands of biochemical reactions in the body. While most enzymes work inside our cells, digestive enzymes operate outside the cells in the gastrointestinal tract. The start of digestion begins with digestive enzymes secreted by salivary gland cells into our mouths. Cells lining the gastrointestinal tract also contribute enzymes, such as pepsin in the stomach. In addition, digestive enzymes are produced in the pancreas and are emptied into the upper part of the small intestine.

These enzymes help to break apart proteins, allowing the body to optimize its effort to digest proteins from plant and animal sources, as well as break down starch, lactose, fats, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). The result is a more complete digestive process, resulting in better nutritional absorption.

Isotonix Digestive Enzyme Formula with Probiotics supplies natural plant enzymes that are not inactivated by stomach acid. What this means is that the supplemental enzymes mix with and work in concert with the ingested food, and begin to work with the body’s own digestive enzymes to release as many of the nutrients as possible.  

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are beneficial organisms that promote a healthy intestinal tract environment. Probiotics can help support the body in maintaining proper digestive functions and improving emotional health. Lactobacillus sporogenes bacteria reside mostly in the large intestine and help break down undigested food. These "friendly" bacteria can help the absorption of vitamins and minerals, and can actually synthesize some vitamins, such as biotin and vitamin K. In addition, these beneficial bacteria contribute to the breaking down of fibers and undigested starch into simple sugars. These simple sugars then function as fuel for the cells that line the large intestine.

What happens when we eat?

Even before we eat our body‘s digestive action begins to take place. Simply smelling food activates our salivary glands ("mouth watering"). As the food enters the stomach, the stomach acid and pepsin work together to begin breaking the food down into material the small intestine (where most nutritients are absorbed) can use. Enzymes specific to each of the three nutrient groups are released at this stage, further breaking down the food, and contributing to the digestive and absorption processes. These processes continue into the large intestine until the food’s nutritional content is extracted by the body.

What are the three basic and four specialty food enzymes?

There are three basic food enzymes that help us digest our food. Each has a specific function and purpose, and each is necessary for the releasing of nutrients into our bodies. They are: protease (which digests proteins), amylase (which digests starch) and lipase (which digests fats). The specialty enzymes are: lactase (for the sugar lactose in dairy products), maltase (for the sugar maltose in foods), sucrase (for table sugar and fruit), and cellulase (which helps us digest cellulose fibers). Each of these enzymes plays a significant part in the body"s overall health by helping to release specific and necessary nutrients into our bodies.

What are the "good" bacteria?

We all know that chlorine in our water supply kills bacteria, making water safe to drink. That’s good, but all bacteria are not harmful. In fact, if it weren’t for "good" bacteria, we would be unable to digest food. Many people, especially women, know the importance of having "good" bacteria in their system, and many actually take supplements like Lactobacillus acidophilus to keep healthy. Isotonix Digestive Enzyme Formula with Probiotics contains Probiotic bacteria called Lactobacillus sporogenes, designed to help replenish the "good" bacteria that can be harmed by things like the ingestion of chlorinated water and antibiotics. These "friendly" bacteria help to repopulate the colon, displacing harmful bacteria, and promote an appropriate pH balance.*

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.