enzymes

Enzymes (from the Greek zymosis meaning fermentation) are catalysts or accelerators of chemical reactions without themselves being used up or changed in a permanent way.

Enzymes are involved in the growth of cells and new tissue as well as in the transfer of information and nerve impulses. Enzymes lower the activation energy and shorten the ‘path’ of chemical reactions and thus dramatically increase the speed of reactions. They maintain our respiration, contract our muscles, digest our food, change food into energy, remove waste and toxins and maintain immune responses. Unfortunately, viruses and other organisms also use enzymes to get their own way inside our body. Outside our body, enzymes are essential in food preparation, for instance in fermentation and baking, and also in the preparation of crucial drugs such as antibiotics and cortisone.