Alpha-Amylase, Human Pancreas

Amylase is an enzyme that breaks starch down into sugar. Amylase is present in human saliva, where it begins the chemical process of digestion. Foods that contain much starch but little sugar, such as rice and potato, taste slightly sweet as they are chewed because amylase turns some of their starch into sugar in the mouth. Alpha-Amylase is an enzyme that hydrolyses alpha-bonds of large alpha-linked polysaccharides such as starch and glycogen, yielding glucose and maltose. It is being used by researchers as a barometer of the body's response to physical or psychological stress. NIH study shows that Women with high levels of alpha amylase, indicating stress, are less likely to conceive.