{"id":63741,"date":"2019-12-09T14:54:04","date_gmt":"2019-12-09T22:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/?p=63741"},"modified":"2021-09-20T09:20:34","modified_gmt":"2021-09-20T16:20:34","slug":"catalase-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/catalase-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Catalase Enzyme: Roles & Functions + Supplements"},"content":{"rendered":"

Catalase is produced by almost every living creature. It helps remove hydrogen peroxide, which can damage cells. This remarkable enzyme helps prevent aging and chronic conditions. On the other hand, catalase supplements have no science to back them up. Read on to learn about catalase roles and factors that increase\/decrease it.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>What Is Catalase?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Catalase is an enzyme, a protein made by a living organism to help facilitate a chemical reaction. Specifically, catalase is an incredibly important and diverse antioxidant enzyme. Despite its importance, few people have heard of catalase.<\/p>\n

<\/a>What Does It Do?<\/span><\/h3>\n

<\/a>Catalase and Hydrogen Peroxide<\/h4>\n

Catalase\u2019s main \u2018job\u2019 is to remove hydrogen peroxide<\/strong> (H2<\/sub>O2<\/sub>) by converting it into water and oxygen [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n

Hydrogen peroxide is produced during aerobic respiration, the process by which cells generate usable energy by breaking down glucose<\/a> and oxygen. However, it is considered reactive and can damage just about every part of the cell – so, it\u2019s necessary for cells to remove excess hydrogen peroxide [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n

<\/a>Importance<\/h4>\n

Since hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizing agent, catalase is considered one of the more important antioxidant <\/strong>enzymes [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that more complex organisms – including humans – have evolved to rely on hydrogen peroxide to some degree. It can activate the immune system<\/a>, and immune cells can kill bacteria by bombarding them with oxidants like hydrogen peroxide [R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n

Catalase helps regulate these systems and ensure that the toxic by-products don\u2019t do too much damage to cells, but, as with many aspects of biology, this is a \u2018Goldilocks\u2019 scenario<\/strong> – ideally, catalase prevents damage without interfering with important signaling processes [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n

Some types of catalase, particularly those found in mammals, can also help break down other potentially toxic compounds, like alcohol <\/strong>[R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n

<\/a>Snapshot<\/span><\/h3>\n

<\/a>Proponents:<\/strong><\/h4>\n