L.E.A.D.S.® is a proprietary system of adding a blend of select enzymes to botanical and whole-food products for the purpose of improving the release and absorption of nutrients contained in these products.

The L.E.A.D.S.® enzyme delivery system is formulated to match the specific needs of each individual product made by Natural Wellness Centers of America and are based on a unique and proprietary method. It is especially beneficial with products providing a whole-food source of vitamins and minerals.

The L.E.A.D.S.® enzyme delivery system also utilizes amino chelated minerals covered under several US Patents to insure total enzyme activation. Each enzyme when it performs its catalytic action of digesting a food substrate in other words protein, carbohydrates, fat or the like, minerals are used or burned up in that process. If the exact blend of these minerals is not present in the enzyme delivery system, then they will be stripped or robbed from the host’s diet, body tissue, or organs.

The important nutrients and bioactive constituents of botanical ingredients may not always be adequately absorbed into the human system where they can be utilized to improve the health and wellbeing of the consumer. This is either because structures within the botanical ingredient trap these essential constituents or these essential constituents are in a form that is not readily absorbable and must be altered during the digestive process (Schwimmer, 1981) (Setchell et al, 2002) (Turner et al, 2003) (Rowland et al, 2003).  The practice of using enzymes to increase the nutritive value of vegetable foods has long been established in the food and agricultural industries.The use of enzymes to degrade fibers and hydrolyze vegetable proteins and starches is a standard processing technique in the food industry.  And, the agricultural industry routinely uses carbohydrolytic, proteolytic, and lipolytic enzymes to improve the nutritional value of animal feeds.  For these reasons, Natural Wellness Centers of America Inc. recognized that the ingestion of supplemental enzymes could encourage the release of trapped botanical nutrients or alter their desirable constituents to a form that is more readily absorbed into the system thus raising the nutritional level of the consumer to a new high.

Release of Trapped Nutrients

Whole plant foods and supplements can create a unique problem for the mammalian digestive system.  This is because many of the structural components of plant cells are poorly digested by human enzymes or require digestive enzymes that humans do not produce.  Due to this, the supplementation of select enzymes that will digest carbohydrates, proteins and fats may be needed to digest these structures and release the trapped nutrients and bioactive ingredients found in whole botanical ingredients.

The cell walls of plants are composed of non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs), which are organized in complex matrices that can trap minerals, macronutrients, micronutrients, Phyto chemicals and bioactive compounds. These NSP matrices account for the fibrous nature of plant foods and are composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, xylans, pectins, and phytates along with miscellaneous other NSPs (Salisbury and Ross, 1985).  Because humans lack the enzymes required to digest these NSP matrices, the essential micronutrients, macronutrients, and bioactive compounds found in botanicals tend to be poorly absorbed and utilized by the average individual. In raw food all these enzymes are naturally occurring in the food so delivery of these nutrients is automatic. When food is cooked or processed it is essential that these enzymes be added to the diet in appropriate amounts.

Numerous studies have shown that the dietary addition of enzymes capable of digesting NSPs can increase the availability of essential plant nutrients (Modyanov and Zel’ner, 1983)(Vranjes and Wenk, 1996)(Cowan, 1996)(Sandberg et al, 1996). 

The enzymes contained in our L.E.A.D.S.® Live Enzyme Activated Delivery System® are capable of digesting specific NSPs include cellulase, pectinase, phytase, hemicellulase, beta-glucanase, and alpha-galactosidase.  Natural Wellness Centers of America Inc. branded L.E.A.D.S.® Live Enzyme Activated Delivery System® is a unique blend of enzymes including hemicellulase, beta-glucanase, and phytase and is often used in conjunction with many of the above carbohydrolytic enzymes as a part of the unique L.E.A.D.S.® Delivery System.

In addition to NSPs, plant proteins have the potential to trap essential nutrients.  This is because the proteolytic enzymes of the human gastrointestinal tract are unable to completely digest certain plant proteins and tends to leave an undigested “core” polypeptide (Schwimmer, 1981). 

Mechanical processing procedures including pressure and abrasion can rupture the plant cells and release their nutritive contents.  But, this sort of processing leaves two thirds of the plant proteins in tact.  Proteolytic predigestion of plant proteins has been extensively studied for agricultural and food processing applications.  As a result, it is well recognized that proteases can increase the nutritive value of plant foods.  Unlike human proteases, the fungal proteases used by Natural Wellness Centers of America Inc. are well suited to digest proteins of plant origin.  These proteases include protease 4.5, protease 6.0, protease 3.0, and peptidase. 

Fat digestion

The adequate digestion and absorption of plant source fat is necessary for the delivery of many botanical nutrients. Vitamins A, E, and K, along with many other nutritionally important plant compounds, are fat-soluble.  To be absorbed through the intestine and enter the bloodstream, these substances must be dissolved in fats. Improper fat digestion can impair this process, because undigested fats can not be absorbed and are excreted from the system, along with any fat soluble nutrients that are dissolved in them.  The mineral copper has been shown to form complexes with undigested fats that cannot be absorbed through the intestine (Wapnir and Devas, 1995) (Wapnir and Sia, 1996).  These complexes are eventually excreted.  When this happens, the copper and any fat-soluble nutrients that were dissolved in the fat are lost.  The supplementation of lipase can act to improve fat digestion and absorption.  Natural Wellness Centers of America Inc. lipases are uniquely suited to the digestion of fats from plant origin as well as animal sourced fats and provide an important piece of the L.E.A.D.S.® formulation.

In order to be utilized, plant macronutrients must be broken down to their simplest structures.  However, plant carbohydrates and proteins can create digestive challenges for humans.  Many botanical carbohydrates are classified as non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) (Salisbury and Ross, 1985).  Humans lack the enzymes required to digest NSPs.  As a result, a significant portion of the carbohydrates found in plants cannot be utilized as a nutrients source.  While humans do produce proteases capable of partially digesting plant proteins, plant proteins have a fundamentally different make up than animal proteins.  These proteins can be very difficult to digest and the proteolytic enzymes of the gastrointestinal tract can leave a “core” indigestible polypeptide of 20 to 30 amino acids (Schwimmer, 1981).   These issues are further compounded by the fact that various plant foods are known to possess potent trypsin and amylase inhibitors.  Grains, legumes and other seeds are the best-known sources of these anti-enzyme compounds.  These inhibitors are effective due to the similarity of their structures to the binding site of trypsin and alpha-amylase. A large body of evidence exists supporting the role of supplemental enzymes in increasing the nutritional value of vegetable foodstuffs (Borgstrom, 1968) (Edwards and Edwards, 1974) (Vranjes and Wenk, 1996) (Modyanov and Zel’ner, 1983) (Cowan, 1996) (Uhlig and Grampp, 1972) (Amiral et al, 1995).  Unlike human enzymes, fungal enzymes are capable of digesting most plant carbohydrates and proteins.  Also, because of their unique structures, naturally occurring botanical enzyme inhibitors do not reduce the effectiveness of fungal enzymes.  Natural Wellness Centers of America Inc. L.E.A.D.S.® Live Enzyme Activated Delivery System® provides a complete approach to digesting proteins, carbohydrates, and fats plus deliver on a cellular basis all the Phyto-nutrients contained in the all NWC formulas.

In addition to macronutrients, the bioactive elements of plants often must be converted to a more bioavailable form.  Many of the bioactive elements of plants can be classified as polyphenolic compounds. These polyphenolic compounds are important to human health for many reasons.  Unfortunately, even when polyphenols are isolated from the plant and consumed in a purified form, they may not be adequately utilized. This is because polyphenols tend to be stored by plants in a form that is not readily absorbed. This is particularly true of the class of polyphenols called isoflavones.  A majority of isoflavones found in soy products and foods are attached to a sugar.  In order for these isoflavones to be absorbed, this sugar must be removed.  Humans do not produce enzymes capable of removing this sugar from isoflavones and must depend on the action of their gut flora for this activity.  During the digestion of soy isoflavones, gut micro flora produce enzymes, which act to remove this sugar from isoflavones in a process called aglyconation (Setchell et al, 2002) (Turner et al, 2003) (Rowland et al, 2003). Unfortunately, humans exhibit a huge variation in the make-up and health of their gut flora. As a result, it cannot be assumed that all consumed isoflavones are utilized to their fullest potential. Natural Wellness Centers of America Inc. L.E.A.D.S.® Live Enzyme Activated Delivery System® uses a unique blend of xylanase and beta-glucanase that actively aglyconates soy isoflavones. In a joint clinical study with Iowa State University, it was shown that Isolase™ was able to double the bioavailability of soy isoflavones.  For formulas containing glyconated isoflavones, Isolase™ is a key component of the L.E.A.D.S.® System

References:

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Salisbury, F.B.; Ross, C.W.  Plant Physiology, 3rd ed.  (Belmont CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1985).

Sandberg, AS et al. “Dietary Aspergillus niger Phytase Increases Iron Absorption In Humans.” J Nutr. 1996. 126: 476.

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Setchell, KD et al. “Evidence For Lack Of Absorption Of Soy Isoflavone Glycosides In Humans, Supporting The Crucial Role Of Intestinal Metabolism For Bioavailability.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2002. 76(2):447-53.

Sreekantiah, K.R.; Ebine, H.; Ohta, T.; Nakano, M.  “Enzyme Processing Of Vegetable Protein Foods.”  Food Tech 23: 1055-61 (1969).

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Vranjes, V.; Wenk, C.  “Influence Of Trichoderma Viride Enzyme Complex On Nutrient Utilization And Performance Of Laying Hens In Diets With And Without Antibiotic Supplementation.”  Poultry Sci.1996. 75(5): 551-5.

Wapnir, RA and Devas, G. “Copper Deficiency: Interaction With High-fructose and High-fat Diets In Rats.” Am J Clin Nutr. 1995. 61(1): 105-10.

Wapnir, RA and Sia, MC “Copper Intestinal Absorption In The Rat: Effect Of Free Fatty Acids And Triglycerides.” Proc Soc Exp Biol Med.1996.211 (4): 381-6.