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Technical Bulletin

NSAIDS or Enzymes

Sports-related injuries have become commonplace in the professional sports arena, with benched players, lost games and compromised seasons as the usual outcome. Because of these consequences, quick fixes have been the most feasible, if not the only answer for coaches, trainers and athletes. Inevitably, however, these Band-Aid approaches to injuries lead to long-term, often irreparable injuries that compromise athletic careers and winning seasons.

This is where proteolytic enzymes come in. With the use of supplemental proteolytic enzyme therapy, complete recovery is not only possible, but the predictable outcome when taken as a supplemental nutritional therapeutic regime. Of course, this protocol demands a shift in focus from temporary relief to complete recovery, which can be easily proven possible with scientific research and peer-reviewed studies of proteolytic enzyme therapy involving athletes.

Such uses of proteolytic enzymes is becoming more widespread, largely because of an increase in the recognition of their anti-inflammatory properties, circulatory support and ability to enhance and regulate immune function. By helping to break up clumped red blood cells common at the site of injury, proteolytic enzymes increase the amount of oxygen and nutrients available for recovery.

For athletes, oral proteolytic enzymes for the treatment of sports injuries are of particular interest based on the latest peer-reviewed research. Scientific literature supporting the anti-inflammatory benefits of proteases includes a prominent study called "Oral proteolytic enzymes in the treatment of athletic injuries: a double blind study" published in The Pennsylvania Medical Journal 68 (10): 35-7 1965, and more specific studies such as "Oral Anti-inflammatory Enzyme Therapy in Injuries in Professional Footballers," The Practitioner 198: 543-6 (1967). Compared with subjects administered a placebo, those who were given oral proteases showed significant reductions in healing time from various sports-related injuries, including bruising, swelling and other traumas.

Given the natural properties of proteolytic enzymes, supplementing them into the diet is an attractive alternative to the many synthetic prescription and over-the-counter drugs that provide temporary relief from pain. The extensive use of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories (NSAIDs) is of great concern to many sports medicine professionals, coaches and athletes, as these temporary pain relievers have detrimental effects on athletes' health, especially causing noticeable digestive disturbances, as well as diminished overall performance.

Not only do NSAIDs cause intense gastrointestinal discomfort, they may actually slow recovery as they inhibit the body's natural physiological responses. While such conclusions have been studied extensively abroad, North America has been slower to realize the full potential of proteolytic enzyme therapy.

Studies evaluating the recovery rate of several injuries, including surgery, showed that when oral enzymes were taken prior to surgery to reduce swelling, the swelling subsided an average of seven days faster than in those taking a placebo. These benefits extend to post-surgery recovery time as well. Hospital stays following surgery averaged eight days for enzyme-treated patients, while the placebo group averaged hospital stays of 14 days.

Based on such peer-reviewed research and our own double-blind studies, Infinity² has captured the healing properties of proteolytic enzymes in a formula called Cytolyse (Formula 3209 in Canada). With the proteolytic enzymes contained in Cytolyse, it has the power to support a healing environment within the body, as it is the most advanced proteolytic enzyme preparation available. And, using the experience of several decades of enzyme technology along with state-of-the-art nutrient delivery systems, Cytolyse has been formulated with the most highly active proteolytic enzymes and a guaranteed delivery system. The widespread use of this healing enzyme formulation delivers safe nutritional support for the necessary healing from athletic injuries and many other forms of trauma.

© 2001 Infinity², Inc. Form #1441 Rev. 06/29/99