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The potency of enzymes is not measured in the same way as other nutritional supplements. The determining factor of an enzyme product's potency is the effect it has on proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Enzyme expert TOM BOHAGER explains
The method of measuring enzyme potency differs from what most people are accustomed to. It is not quantity of the ingredient that counts, but rather the quantity of food that an enzyme can break down or digest that determines an enzyme's potency. For example, when comparing two vitamin-C products, the average consumer will typically compare the price and number of mg per tablet of one vitamin-C product with another. When it comes to enzymes, however, it is not quite as simple.
Below is a copy of the supplement-facts box from a digestive-enzyme product, Digest Gold, manufactured by Enzymedica. Observe how the ingredients are measured.
In this example, the name of the enzyme is listed on the left and measurement of activity is listed on the right, followed by two to four letters. The word Thera-blend, which follows the name of four of the enzymes, is Enzymedica's way of indicating that more than one of that type of enzyme is used.
What initially confuses many customers are the letters shown after the measurement of activity. On the nutritional information panel, amylase has 23,000DU, while protease has 80,000HUT. These letters are abbreviations for assays used to measure the 'active units' of the enzyme. DU stands for dextrinizing units, while HUT is an abbreviation for hemoglobin units in a tyrosine base. The reason this is necessary is because enzymes are not measured by weight, and thus a measurement in mg or international units (IU) would not describe the true potency of the product.
Following are three...