Systemic Enzymes and Scar Tissue: What Every Person with Pulmonary Fibrosis Should Know

Enzymes are substances that speed up biochemical reactions in our bodies. There are thousands of enzymes in the human body, and they work hard to help us digest food, metabolize nutrients and support our various organ systems. Enzymes also have anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties. 

Most enzymes in our bodies can be broken down into two groups: digestive enzymes and systemic enzymes. Digestive enzymes help us break down our food, especially the proteins, fats and carbohydrates. 

Systemic enzymes provide different support. They help the communication and regulatory systems in your body, and work with the immune system to fight harmful foreign proteins. They have also been shown to help destroy abnormal cells, such as cancer cells, and the excessive antibodies that the body produces when a person has an autoimmune disorder.  

Systemic Enzymes and Fibrin

Fibrin is a building block for scar tissue. Fibrin is a protein that plugs wounds and helps scar tissue develop.  It is one of the body’s first responders when injury occurs and plays a central role in the body’s healing and repair process. Fibrin is an insoluble protein, which means it doesn’t just dissolve away on its own once the healing process is complete. A group of enzymes works to break down the fibrin mesh and restore the injured area back to normal. When we are young and healthy, our bodies produce plenty of enzymes to break down the fibrin and absorb it back into our bodies, allowing the nerves, muscles and blood vessels surrounding the wound site to return to business as usual. 

Systemic Enzymes and Scar Tissue

When we get older, our bodies no longer produce the amount of systemic enzymes required to break down the scar tissue, which means fibrin can start to accumulate in the body.  This is harmful because over time, fibrin thickens and grows stiff, leading to scar tissue build-up. When it accumulates in the lungs, it leads to pulmonary fibrosis (PF). This build-up of scar tissue in the lungs can occur due to age or other factors such as smoking, exposure to silica, mold, other chemicals or certain medications that cause lung injury and inflammation. This fibrin or scar tissue surrounds the air sacs and the blood vessels in the lungs, restricting the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. 

Systemic Enzymes and Inflammation

Systemic enzymes support the body’s normal inflammatory process. Your body requires a healthy level of inflammation to combat injury and illnesses.  When this inflammation goes unchecked, chronic conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis can arise. By supporting normal levels of ing inflammation, enzymes can slow down scar tissue build-up and promote lung health. 

Systemic Enzymes and Pulmonary Fibrosis

In pulmonary fibrosis, there is an excess fibrin build-up in the lungs. Fibrin is a protein. Systemic enzymes are generally proteases.  Proteases are enzymes which break down proteins such as fibrin. 

When our body lacks enzymes to break down fibrin, we have to seek new ways to find it. Certain foods contain small amounts of systemic enzymes, but not enough to render them a suitable source. Luckily, there are systemic enzyme supplements available that promote quality of life and may prevent excess fibrin accumulation.     

Protease enzymes can do a lot of helpful things for PF patients, including –  reduce inflammation, improve symptoms of PF, reduce the requirement for supplemental oxygen and improve quality of life.

Systemic Enzymes: The Cleanup Crew

While aging does reduce the body’s enzyme levels, enzymes can still be replenished, including those that eliminate excess fibrin. Systemic enzyme supplements offer a safe, effective solution to supporting the body’s enzymatic processes. Systemic enzymes have different functions. Some are designed to support healthy enzyme levels in the body while others target specific chemical processes, such as those involved with healing and repair. 

Some proteolytic enzyme supplements are formulated to attack fibrin overgrowth in the body’s respiratory system. These can help reduce the symptoms associated with pulmonary fibrosis and improve quality of life in PF patients. 

Taking steps to support and replenish the body’s enzyme levels can improve your health on multiple levels. Enzyme supplements are designed to do just that.