What role do digestive enzymes serve in the digestive process?
Digestive enzymes are the workhorses of the digestive system. Many people mistakenly believe that gastric acid alone breaks down food. In fact, it is the enzymes that facilitate digestion by causing chemical reactions in the body to break down and absorb food and nutrients. Digestion is facilitated by many enzymes, with each having a specific job along the digestive chain. Enzymes begin working on the digestion the second food enters your mouth and comes into contact with saliva containing enzymes to prepare food for the journey through the body.
