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Why All Enzymes Are Not Created Equal
There are a number of enzyme supplement products on the market today. Only by analyzing the contents' labeling to compare products can you be sure you are getting the best product available.
"Commercial enzymes" are one product you may come across. Commercial enzymes are of a lesser grade and purity than pharmaceutical enzymes. They are less expensive to produce. They are also much less potent. Transformations uses only pharmaceutical grade enzymes!
Another thing to watch for on the label is fillers. Fillers can be many things including leftover fibers or cellulose. It is important to use a product that has NO FILLERS in any of its enzyme formulations!
Looking at labels of products you will find measurement units you may not be familiar with. These are from the Food Chemical Codex (FCC). The FCC is published by the National Academy Press and is the accepted standard of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The system for determining enzyme potency used by the American food industry is derived from the FCC. This is the ONLY National Standard for evaluation of enzymes. This system establishes activity levels and potency for enzymes.
Most food comparisons are based on weight. With enzymes the key measurement is the unit of activity and potency. There is no direct relationship between weight and units of activity.
The enzyme activity of products should be measured and reported in FCC units. These unit measurements are expressed as follows:
- Protease - HUT (Hemoglobin Unit Tyrosine base)
- Amylase - DU (Alpha-amylase Dextrinizing units)
- Lipase - LU (Lipase unit)
- Cellulase - CU (Cellulase unit)
- Invertase - IAU (Invertase Activity unit)
- Lactase - LacU (Lactase unit)
- Maltase - DP (degrees Diastatic power)
When comparing enzyme products make sure measurements are listed using FCC standard codes. Some manufacturers make up their own abbreviations. Others use weights such as milligrams (mgs). Still others will list measurements based on dosage which may be more than one capsule.
Because of the variety of labeling formats used it is important to read carefully and make sure you are not comparing apples to oranges.
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