Tip 61. Enz
y
mes are
g
ood medicine.
To
defeat
s
t
ubborn
dis
e
ases,
co
n
s
um
e
enzym
e
s
in
fresh,
u
ncooked
fo
o
ds
and
in
s
u
pplements.
Enzymes are chemical substances
p
roduced in
t
he living organism. They are marvel
l
ous
organic
cat
a
lysts
which
are
essenti
a
l
to
life
a
s
t
h
ey control all the chemical reactio
n
s
that take place in a
living system. Enzymes are part of all living cells,
including th
o
s
e of plants
and animals.
The term enzyme, which
literally means in yea
s
t
'
, was coined following t
h
e demonstration of catalytic pr
o
perties of yeast and yeast juic
e
s
.
Al
t
hough enzymes are produced in the living cell, they are not dependent
u
pon the vital process
e
s
of the cell
a
nd work outside the c
e
ll.
Certain enzymes of yeast, for instance, wh
e
n expressed
from the y
e
ast cells are
capable of
exerting their usual
e
ffect, that is,
the conversion of sugar
to alcohol.
It has been
estimated that there are over 20,000 enzymes in the human body. This estimate is based on t
h
e number of bodily processes that
seem to require action.
H
owever, so far only
about 1,000
enzymes have been identified. But
t
heir great r
o
le in nutriti
o
n and other living processes
h
as been firmly establish
e
d. They a
r
e protein molecules made
up of chains of amino acids. They play
a vital role
a
nd work more efficien
t
ly than any reagent concocted by chemists.
Thus for ins
t
ance, a ch
em
ist can s
e
parate proteins into th
e
ir
component amino acids by boiling them at 166 o C for over
18 hours in
a strong solution of hydrochloric
a
c
i
d
, but the enzymes of
the small in
t
estines
can
do so in l
e
ss than three
hours at bo
d
y temperat
u
re in a neut
r
al medium.
A feature which dis
t
ing
u
ishes e
n
zymes from inorganic cat
a
lysts is
that t
h
ey are absolutely specific in t
h
eir actions.
This means
that a
particular enzyme
can cause
r
eactions
involving
only a particular type of substance
o
r a group of closely rela
t
ed substances. The su
b
s
tance on which the
e
nzyme acts is known as
"subst
r
ate."
The speci
f
icity of an enzyme is, however,
related to t
h
e formation of the enzyme-substrate complex which requir
e
s that the a
p
propriate groupings of
both subst
r
ate and enzyme should be in correct
relative position. The s
u
bstrate must fit the enzyme like a key fits its
lock.
Tip 62. Eschew the ea
t
ing of flesh.
Flesh is
o
ft
e
n a carrier
o
f disease g
e
rms.
Diseases of
many kinds are on the i
n
crease in t
h
e animals,
making flesh foods more and more unsafe. Pe
o
ple are continually eati
n
g flesh that
may contain tuberculosis and canc
e
rous
germs. Oft
e
n animals are taken to t
h
e market and sold for f
o
od when they are so diseased that their owners do not wish to keep th
e
m any long
e
r. And some of the proc
e
sses of fa
t
t
e
ning
them to increase their
w
eight and c
o
nsequently their market value, produce dise
a
s
e.
Shut
away fr
o
m light and pure air, breathing the atmosphere of fil
t
hy stables,
perhaps fat
t
ening on decaying foods, the entire body now becomes contaminated with foul matter.
If you do not eat meat, you are spa
r
ed its cont
am
ination.
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