You hear about it constantly from raw foodists – cooking food destroys the digestive enzymes in them, forcing our body to expend energy to create its own.

But is there any truth to this idea, or just another raw food myth that makes the diet a laughingstock for those who study the body?

Find out here: [www.raw-food-health.net]

I do find this topic interesting... when I first got into raw foods umpteen years ago we were learning all about enzymes in foods being used by the body after the food was digested. Now there seems to be a big trend saying it is a myth that raw food enzymes aid in digestion - such as the article that you linked to. I must have missed the point in time when the 'enzyme theory' became confused with the 'digestive enzyme theory'. They are, afterall, different things.

Do the enzymes in raw food have any other benefit to the body other than the supposed helping with digestions that may not in fact be true??

RusticBohemian, I think your article is absolutely accurate that there is currently no evidence that our bodies require the enzymes in raw food for digestion.

Thank you for this article. It's good when Raw food vegans have correct and up-to-date information.

I also think RocketShip makes a very good point.

Though it appears we may not need digestive enzymes from raw foods, there is considerable evidence that the B vitamins, when consumed from raw foods, do become essential components of our bodies' coenzymes that are crucial for functions other than digestion. At least several of the B vitamins are destroyed by cooking.

For example, according to this article from Better Health: [www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au]

"There are eight B-group vitamins, which are essential for metabolic processes such as energy production and red blood cell synthesis. These water soluble vitamins are easily destroyed when cooking or processing food."

I'm just learning aboout this myself, but here's a reference from MIT (I added bold type):

[web.mit.edu]

"THE B VITAMINS

Vitamin B1 or thiamin, Vitamin B2 or riboflavin,Vitamin B3 or niacin, Vitamin B6, biotin, Vitamin B12, and pantothenic acid or B5 are all water soluble vitamins and have many important functions as coenzymes or constituents of coenzymes. In combination they all help the body function in the following ways: as an antioxidant, metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, fat synthesis, protein synthesis, amino acid metabolism, glucose metabolism, energy production, metabolize some drugs and toxins, energy metabolism, removal of carbon dioxide, nucleic acid metabolism, nervous tissue function and more.

THIAMIN (B1)

Easily destroyed by caffeine, alcohol, coffee and tea in large amounts, food additives like sulphites, exposure to air, water, food processing, overcooking, antacids, tannins, excess sugar and estrogen. Stress can also reduce absorption. Thiamin functions in carbohydrate metabolism, aids in efficient digestion, maintains the nervous system, assists with energy production, promotes healthy brain activity and memory.

PANTOTHENIC ACID (B5)

Pantothenic acid (B5) is a water soluble vitamin. It can also come in the supplement form of calcium pantothenate. Essentially they are considered the same thing. It is one of the safest of all vitamins. It forms a part of coenzyme A (CoA) and acyl carrier protein (ACP) which are required for chemical reactions that create energy from carbohydrates, fats and proteins as well as other various and essential chemical reactions in the body. Pantothenic acid is destroyed by heat, acids (like vinegar), alkali (bicarbonate), canning, freezing,and food processing."

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To me, it all kind of makes sense because: when I eat cooked food, is it really my digestion that suffers? I don't really know, but definitely, my energy level takes a big hit, plus my overall general feeling of well-being. Seems like that's just what a person might expect when looking at the functions of the B vitamins described in the links above.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/19/2010 08:58PM by suncloud.

all vitamins are coenzymes as minerals and co factors...

also there are enzymes in plant foods which can serve us. I think some of those who dispute the enzyme argument go a bit into the extreme. Yea maybe not all of us have a deficiency. Yes some or a lot of the enzymes in plant foods serve the plant, not us, but there are still enzymes that can serve us.