Eat what you love

Houston Enzymes promotes healthy digestion.

Jeff Della Rosa/Special to Siloam Proud Biomuve is Houston Enzymes’ newest product. It contains an enzyme and a probiotic and is the company’s first product to require refrigeration.
Jeff Della Rosa/Special to Siloam Proud Biomuve is Houston Enzymes’ newest product. It contains an enzyme and a probiotic and is the company’s first product to require refrigeration.

Without enzymes, biochemist Devin Houston wouldn't be able to enjoy a steak or have a glass of milk. But he can with them.

"I'm lactose intolerant," he said.

He also had his gall bladder removed, so fats bother him.

As he's grown older, the founder and owner of Houston Enzymes has started taking more and more of his products.

Houston has been working to help people digest foods better for about two decades.

In 2001, he started his business in a Siloam Springs house.

Before that, he worked for National Enzyme Co., an enzyme manufacturer near Branson, Mo.

He directed research and development for several years. In 1998, he formulated the first enzyme product targeted at dietary needs of those with autism. He is credited with finding the enzyme DPP IV in commercially produced enzymes.

Nearly 80 percent of Houston Enzymes' business is comprised of children with spectrum disorders, Houston said. Those with autism often struggle with digestion, and the enzymes have helped those on the spectrum.

A particular enzyme that he worked on led him to start Houston Enzymes.

"Trials got very good results," Houston said.

He started with two products and now has seven enzyme-related products. Houston's core products are manufactured by his former employer, National Enzyme Co.

Retail price is between $25 and $52 per product, and each one lasts, on average, about a month.

Enzymes are to be taken at the start of a meal and are available in capsule, chewable or powder forms.

The best-seller is TriEnza, which offers multiple enzymes in one capsule. It helps people who have issues with digesting wheat and dairy, carbohydrates and high-fiber foods.

It has been so popular it was taking sales from other products.

The company's annual revenue is between $1 million to $5 million, Houston said.

About 50 percent of business is through distributors and doctors, and the other half is direct sales to customers.

The company has 40,000 unique customers, and probably twice that number if factoring in the distributors' customers. Distributors sell Houston Enzymes in the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Australia and South Africa.

"We don't go mass market," he said, so they aren't available in big box stores.

First Customer

Houston's first customer was Cindy Kelley's son, who needed help with digestion. Her son started using enzymes in 2001, and they improved his life.

The enzymes worked so well for Kelley's son that she and her husband started using them.

Kelley uses them for lactose intolerance and for digesting carbohydrates. Enzymes helped her husband, Mitch, with digestive issues after his gall bladder was removed.

"The enzymes allow people to eat a bigger variety of healthy foods," she said. "All we're doing is breaking down proteins, carbohydrates or fats."

In 2003, Kelley became outreach and communications coordinator for Houston Enzymes. She works from her Kansas City, Mo., home.

Kelley found out about enzymes by researching online. She visited message boards and discovered that Houston had started a company.

He was reaching out to network with groups, and Kelley's group invited him to speak in Kansas City. Kelley purchased AFP-Peptizyde at that talk.

"Dr. Houston is known throughout the community of families with special needs," Kelley said. "He's known as the go-to person to talk to."

Since 2010, he's spoken at over 30 conferences, via webinars and to groups. He speaks at conferences worldwide and has written magazine articles about enzymes.

Kelley has a background in special education and in her position at Houston Enzymes, she feels as if she's an educator.

"I enjoy helping people solve their digestive problems," she said.

She's often helped people with their digestive issues and helped to find the best product that would help them. For example, if a customer just needs help with protein digestion, then AFP-Peptizyde is the best product for that.

"It's more economical per dose than TriEnza," Kelley said.

Word of mouth is still important as ever for the company.

More and more older people are finding out about the products. She said she has a surprising number of people in their 80s who call to ask about the products.

The company offers free samples, so people can try before they buy. Typically, she said they quickly will find out if they are right for them.

"No two days are ever alike," she said. "I love working for a small company."

Academic Research

Houston and his wife, Trish, graduated from Siloam Springs High School in 1975.

Houston received his doctorate in biochemistry from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine.

His graduate work centered on enzyme discovery and subsequently researched at the University of Virginia and Saint Louis University Schools of Medicine focused on enzymatic mechanisms involved in cellular communication.

He completed school in 1986, and for 12 years, continued researching, including on how hormones work.

But when federal funding for research started being cut, he decided to apply his research. "The future didn't look that bright," he said.

That's when he went to work for National Enzyme Co.

In 1999, before gluten-free fad diets, he was working on products that helped people with wheat- and dairy-free diets.

When he decided to start his business, his family helped him move home. Because it was an Internet-based business, location wasn't a factor.

He rented office space downtown before moving to his existing location in 2006.

Three years ago, he opened WellSpring Nutrition in downtown.

"I felt Siloam needed a downtown health food store," Houston said.

Five full-time employees work for Houston Enzymes filling online orders, shipping items and running the store.

Houston owns the building that includes the store, his business, a bathing products store and four apartments on the second floor.

Over the years, Houston has invested in the revitalization of downtown. He owns the building that was formerly a bookstore and now a part of Cafe on Broadway. He also owns the building where Siloam Flowers is located.

Safe Enzymes

Houston said the business not only provides good income, but it also allows him to sleep easy at night knowing that he's helping others.

He's faced no lawsuits, and had no issues with Food and Drug Administration.

No level of enzyme is dangerous, he said.

The products work in the stomach to help break down food before continuing through the gut.

While the products don't cure, treat or prevent diseases, they will help with symptoms, such as eliminating gas and bloating and helping people not feel as full.

Over the years, as diets have included more processed foods, digestive issues have started to become more prevalent. But, he said, people have been able to add certain foods back into their diets because of the enzymes.

"Everybody's not the same," Houston said. Everyone's digestive system is different, so a person might need more than just one pill.

For example, one might take TriEnza but also need a little more help with wheat and dairy. So a second pill might be needed for that. Houston consults with customers to find out what works best for them.

He said the next big thing for the business is microbiome. Scientists used to be focused on sequencing the human genome, but now it's sequencing the bacterial genome in the gut.

A two-way communication exists between the brain and gut. Not only can the brain impact the gut, but the gut can also impact brain function.

Food has played a role in mental issues, he said. And one's diet can change the bacteria in the gut.

Eliminating processed foods, junk food and high sugar diets and being careful about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are important.

"Don't worry about fats," he said. "Worry about sugars."

Houston continues to develop products to aid in digestion. Biomuve is the newest product he recently developed that contains a probiotic and enzyme. It's the only product that requires refrigeration.

"Product development is basically a brain exercise," Houston said. "By knowing how each different enzyme works and how one would address a particular diet or digestive issue I can add in those that provide the best results."

More information about Houston Enzymes' products is available online at www.houston-enzymes.com.

Community on 06/29/2016