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Apr 14th, 2006 - 15:05:43 |
With information on the subject more readily available and the baby boomers having digestive problems, retailers should feel optimistic.
By Peter Croatto
Considering that enzymes are the foundation of human bodily functions, the level of consumer interest surrounding these proteins is staggering. Or to put it more accurately, according to Troy Aupperle of Enzymology Research Center, “non-existent.”
“Those that have heard or know about enzymes still do not fully understand the overall, critical role that enzymes play in the human body, especially as we age,” said Aupperle, CEO of the Miltona, MN-based contract manufacturer.
Dr. Donna Werner, director of technical services for Enzymes, Inc. (Parkville, MO), said many people believe they are supposed to suppress their digestive ailments, “rather than attacking—and getting rid of—the underlying cause, which is poor digestion,” something enzymes can help with.
“The general population is completely unaware of enzyme deficiencies. Though they may be able to connect enzymes with digestion most have no concept of the deficiency that occurs as they age,” said Tom Bohager, president of Enzymedica (Port Charlotte, FL), which manufacturers enzyme supplements, including the new Enhance. “The health-food store consumer, though more educated and more aware of enzymes and the role they play, still lacks the understanding that enzymes are essential for cellular function and [that] as we age the body has a hard time keeping up with the demand. The challenge is educating such individuals on this basic concept of health.”
That’s not the only challenge.
The Limits: Studies and Understanding
Bill Lahl, Ph.D., director of content development for bulk ingredient supplier Marcor Development (Carlstadt, NJ), said there’s a limited amount of research on enzymes because of the hefty costs in running clinical studies. “You’ve got a number of products and the problem is you push these good products, and your return [on investment] is severely limited,” he said.
Peter Moodie, director of sales and marketing for Enzyme Development Corp. (EDC, New York City), said the natural products industry’s “snake oil reputation” makes it hard for most people to accept enzymes without lots of cold, hard data, especially in vivo studies. “It’s very hard to write an article when the impression is still that there’s a lot of ‘fou fou dust’ out there, and there’s not science behind like there is” in the pharmaceutical industry.
Rodger Rohde, Jr., president of Triarco Industries (Wayne, NJ), has little sympathy for companies not willing to run studies. “It’s like a stockbroker who tells you to buy a stock, but doesn’t have any stock,” he quipped.
“It takes a few things. You have to have the cash. You have to have the product, the management mindset to do that, and you have to believe in the product.”
Clinical trial results on one of Triarco’s nine patented enzymes, Carbogen, showed that it lowered blood lactate levels—an indication of soreness—in athletes, Rohde said. Studies on another patented enzyme, Aminogen, are underway.
“Studies are a barrier of entry,” Rohde said. “The more we do, the [fewer] people we’ll have chasing us, whether it’d be competitors, mass media, or whomever.”
Understanding the concepts behind enzymes isn’t easy for most customers, said Chris Depretis, vitamin category manager for the Wild Oats Market national chain of health food stores. “It is not like vitamin C, where the consumer knows to take 500 mg every day and then triple [to] 1,500 mg to fight a cold.”
There are seven basic enzyme groups, “and some have different mechanisms of action and each type has a different unit of measure,” Depretis said.
“If you are vegan you may not need lactase because dairy products are not in your diet, but you may need an enzyme for digesting carbohydrates (amylase),” Depretis added. “So the consumer needs to not only understand the measurement units (dosage units) but they also need to understand what the different uses are for each enzyme. When you look at using enzymes to take care of a condition-specific illness like candida you need to take several specific enzymes to correct intestinal balance.”
As Bohager said, education is the key for everyone—retailers, manufacturers, and consumers. It’s that basic concept, buoyed by outside factors, that is giving some in the enzyme business hope.
The Potential: Authors, the Internet, and the Baby Boomers
“Across all of our chains,” Depretis said, enzyme sales are growing at a faster rate than the company’s category average.
“The awareness comes from the fact that several famous holistic authors like Jordan Rubin and Brenda Watson have published books that highlight the need of enzymes in our everyday diet,” he said. “The heightened awareness also comes from consumers inquiring with Holistic Health staff in our stores regarding digestion health concerns, and hearing about the benefit that enzymes provide to help with digestion issues.”
Bohager has noticed more “authorities” endorsing enzymes, which has led to more books, articles, and interviews on the subject. All of this helps “a great deal with educating individuals who may not know such a therapy,” he said.
“We are also finding that more and more physicians and health care practitioners are becoming aware of the benefits of enzymes and enzyme therapy,” Bohager added. “I believe this has a trickle down effect to the consumer.”
According to several executives, the Internet is the main factor in making consumers, practitioners, manufacturers, or whoever more aware of enzymes’ abilities.
“The role of the Internet has made enzyme information very easy for most people to access; and if not there have been more books, booklets, and pamphlets published on enzymes than ever before,” Aupperle said.
“A large part of our efforts lately have been directed toward our Website, www.enzymesinc.com,” Werner said. “We find that many consumers—especially younger ones—primarily turn to the Web as a source of information. But more and more ‘mature’ buyers are also becoming Internet-savvy as well. So we’ve recently revamped our Website. Plus, we’ve added a separate, education-only site (www.enzymeexperts.com) where our customers can learn about digestion, as well as other general health topics and news related to the nutraceutical industry.” Enzymes, Inc., whose biggest customers are healthcare professionals, offers three professional lines of enzyme-based products.
Retailers can also get a more personal educational approach. Bohager said the staff at Enzymedica trains an average of 15 stores a week, and has 80 store demonstrations a month. In January, the company planned to launch a new training program that will certify a store’s staff as “Enzyme Experts” over a series of five trainings.
“We are concentrating on three areas to increase awareness,” Aupperle said. “First, we work with our clients by educating their staff completely by offering specific courses designed for novices as well as experts. Two, we offer seminars to the public which are free and consist of a 45-minute lecture followed by a 15-minute demonstration. Third, we are creating marketing materials that will simplify enzymes so that the average person can understand them.”
Enzyme supplier National Enzyme Company (NEC, Forsyth, MO) sponsors a Website of its own, www.enzymeuniversity.com, which marketing and communications director Scott Daniel said was created “to teach people the importance of enzymes.” The site features articles on digestive enzymes and a contact page where readers can ask questions. Results of other enzyme studies, Daniel said, are pending.
Daniel attributes the growing awareness of digestive enzymes to the baby boomers, the key buyers in the natural products marketplace. As they age, she said, and suffer the negative effects of enzyme deficiencies (gas, bloating, constipation, etc.), enzymes become more important to them and the marketplace.
“One important thing to remember is that the boomer population is serving as an educational source to those around them,” Daniel stressed. “As they learn the importance of enzymes, the generations that follow will also learn.”
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A Brief Guide to Enzymes
Here’s a rundown of some of the more prominent enzymes. The information is taken from www.enzymeuniversity.com.
• Catalase—Catalyzes the destruction of hydrogen peroxide. Supplemental catalase works synergistically with endogenous catalase to prevent the oxidative effects of hydrogen peroxide. Scientific evidence suggests that antioxidant enzymes, such as catalase, can be useful supplements for antioxidant support, anti-inflammatory support, immune support, and cardiovascular support.
• SOD (Superoxide dismutase) is an animal enzyme that catalyzes the destruction of superoxide free radicals. Evidence suggests that antioxidant enzymes, such as SOD, can be useful supplements for antioxidant support, anti-inflammatory support, immune support, and cardiovascular support.
• Lactase is characterized by its ability to hydrolyze lactose over a wide range of temperatures and pH. This enzyme works synergistically with endogenous human lactase to digest the sugars found in milk and dairy products, and therefore reduces the symptoms of lactose intolerance. Scientific evidence suggests that carbohydrolytic enzymes, such as lactase, can be useful supplements for digestive support and general nutritional support.
• An animal enzyme composition, supplemental pancreatin works synergistically with endogenous enzymes to provide protein digestion in the pyloric region of the small intestine. Scientific evidence suggests that supplemental enzymes, such as pancreatin, can be useful supplements for digestive support, immune support, cardiovascular support, and general nutritional support.
• Amylase will randomly hydrolyze the interior alpha-1,4-glucosidic bonds of starch to release simple sugars for digestion. Supplemental amylase works synergistically with endogenous human amylase to digest starchy foods such as white breads, pastas, and potatoes.
• Supplemental pepsin works synergistically with endogenous human pepsin to provide protein digestion in the stomach. Scientific evidence suggests that proteolytic enzymes, such as pepsin, can be useful supplements for digestive support, immune support, anti-inflammatory support, cardiovascular support, and general nutritional support.
• Bromelain contains several proteolytic enzymes, which differ in their specificity and optimum environments. Bromelain works synergistically with endogenous enzymes to provide protein digestion throughout the entire digestive tract.
Also in enzymes’ favor: They’re “cause and effect” products, Rohde said. “People know that if they eat dairy, they have a gastric discomfort, but if they take lactase it will alleviate it,” he explained.
-------------- End INSET -------------------
For a country whose citizens have a hard time giving up foods that aren’t good for them, enzymes offer the ability to focus their worries elsewhere. “People don’t want to [be denied] the foods they like,” Rohde said.
Gabrielle Sill, marketing director at Chino, CA-based Specialty Enzymes & Biochemicals, agreed with Daniel: “The population is aging and there are more people within society who have expendable income who are willing to spend it on their health, “ Sill said of the boomers. “Primarily, unless there’s something unusually the matter, the younger person doesn’t have that kind of problem with their health,” specifically digestive.
Sill said the boomers’ interest in enzymes has been piqued by two sources: the Internet and retailers.
What the Retailer Can Do
What can retailers do to accelerate the category’s momentum? Daniel put it best: “Do your homework.” Take advantage of the available literature, Websites, and company services.
“Retailers can play a role much like the pharmacist does with prescription medication,” Werner said. “The storeowners who have interactive kiosks or even just provide written educational materials act as a partner with their customers in addressing their supplement needs.”
The education should not just extend to knowing factoids about amylase and lipase. Like any other product, a retailer needs to know what’s on the label, said Moodie of EDC, which has been involved in enzyme applications and formulations since the 1950s. A number of enzyme products “have everything in them, but the kitchen sink,” he said, and there’s no way that companies are doing assays to confirm the individual ingredients.
“Another very big problem in this whole use of enzymes and getting the proper enzymes in the hands of the public is uneducated purchasing agents,” Moodie said. “To their credit, they’re given minimal instructions and specifications; they’re told, ‘Well, this is supposed to have 50 mg of pepsin.’ Milligrams and enzymes don’t go together; they’re meaningless.”
Moodie said retailers looking to buy enzymes for their stores should go with manufacturers whose products have been reviewed by a certifying agency. “I can’t say which certifying agency might be better, but certainly certified vs. non-certified is a step up.” He also advised retailers to ask manufacturers if—and where—they test their products, and to ask for results. Retailers with extra money—and/or an overwhelming desire to achieve peace of mind—can test the product themselves.
Tim Gamble, vice president, sales and marketing at Nutraceutix (Redmond, WA) said improper delivery systems also plague enzyme supplements. “For example, there are studies that indicate that the vast majority of porcine-derived pancreatic enzymes are denatured by stomach acid, significantly compromising [the] unprotected form’s effectiveness,” he said. “It’s also easy to find evidence that supplementation with enzymes (plant- or porcine-derived) can cause digestive upset.”
Nutraceutix’s patent-pending delivery system, BIO-tract, is ideal for enzymes, Gamble said. “The tablet’s superior design allows for gastric acid bypass, buffering, and controlled release even if tablets are broken in half by the consumer, something coated products can not accomplish.”
Marketing also matters, said Depretis of Wild Oats. “Many complex enzyme formulas help the consumer understand what a blend does usually from the product name—Candidase is an enzyme blend designed to overcome candida,” he said. “Some companies put their products into a box with more copy on the box or even an insert in the box to help explain the use of the enzyme blend in the bottle.”
Away from the shelves, retailers can also get the word out about enzymes. Enzymedica’s Bohager thinks the exchange line is an ideal location.
“One of the best things a retailer can do when a customer is unhappy with benefits of any nutritional supplement is to ask if they are taking a digestive enzyme,” he said. “We have seen time and time again that this one recommendation will make everything they take work better and reduce complaints dramatically.” VR
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