|
Q20-Why does our ability to produce enzymes get weaker when we get older?
One research study enlisted 10 young and 10 older men and used a drug to stimulate the pancreatic juice flow. The juice was then pumped out and tested. It was found that the enzyme amylase was much weaker in the older men. It was determined that the enzyme deficiency of the older group was due to exhaustion in the cells of the pancreas. Other research indicates that not only do our enzymes get weaker in the pancreas, but they also weaken in the trillions of cells in our body. One explanation for this might be that our pancreas, which weighs only 3 ounces, cannot begin to supply the vast amount of enzyme activity required by the pancreatic secretion, not to mention the tremendous need for protein to equip the enzyme complex (molecular structure of the enzyme). The pancreas must borrow these entities stored in the cells to make the enzyme complex. This could be a definition of "old age." Because old age and debilitated metabolic enzyme activity are synonymous, if we postpone the debilitation of metabolic enzyme activity, then we might delay the aging process. |
