What are proteolytic enzymes and what are they good for?
Proteolytic enzymes, also referred to as “proteases,” are enzymes that break down proteins into their smallest elements which are amino acids. This can happen in the digestive system where they are referred to as digestive enzymes or elsewhere in the body in which case they are referred to as systemic proteolytic enzymes. When taken on an empty stomach, enzymes will pass through to the intestine and through the intestinal lining to the circulatory system. Although not used to digest food, they can do an important work there. And yes they are involved in wound healing and can even help to reduce scarring as scars are formed by fibrin, a protein. We tend to produce fewer proteolytic (and other) enzymes as we age and so supplementing with them can be helpful.
