General Health

• Proteases are important in their ability to promote general health, and some studies have even demonstrated that adding proteases to some products aids healing. For individuals with AIDS, proteases can become dangerous and allow the disease to grow, requiring protease inhibitors that block the enzyme from allowing the HIV virus to make copies of itself.
  
  Protease aids in digestion by breaking down the bonds that hold together amino acids in protein. It can acidify the blood to keep it from becoming too alkaline, which can cause anxiety and restlessness. You might become hypoglycemic if protease functions improperly, and that can cause mood swings. The immune system is greatly enhanced by protease, which breaks down viruses and bacteria and keeps you healthy. Arthritis and osteoporosis can be staved off with protease.
  
  

Treatments

• A variety of treatments use protease to enhance the immune system and bolster the healing response of the body. Proteases are used in enzyme therapy to "hunt down" damaged proteins (known as free radicals) and reduce the concentration of heavy metals, which are poisonous in large amounts in the body. Enzyme treatment using protease destroys harmful extracellular proteins. Recent studies have demonstrated that proteases can speed healing of wounds, where harmful proteins can prevent proper healing and cause scarring.
  
  

Protease Inhibitors

• Individuals with HIV are at increased risk if proteases are not inhibited. While in a healthy individual protease is necessary to break down proteins, in those suffering from HIV, protease can aid the replication of the virus. Protease blockers or inhibitors (sometimes known as PIs) reduce the level of the virus and dramatically increase counts of helpful cells. Drug resistance often works against protease inhibitors by causing them, over time, to become less effective. PIs are often used as a supplement to other therapies and treatments for the deadly virus. In addition to other types of drugs, protease inhibitors are an effective form of therapy for HIV sufferers.