Everyone needs their fruits and vegetables, especially patients with pancreatitis.
Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. Acute pancreatitis is caused by gallstones or heavy alcohol use. Other causes include: medications, infections, trauma, metabolic disorders, and surgery. In some cases the cause may be unknown. Pancreatic damage happens when the digestive enzymes are activated before they are released into the small intestine and begin attacking the pancreas. With the correct treatment, patients with acute pancreatitis can recover completely. In cases of severe acute pancreatitis, bleeding into the gland, serious tissue damage, infection, and cyst formation can result. Severe acute pancreatitis also poses the risk of damage to other vital organs such as the heart, lungs and kidneys.
A recent study linked a diet lacking in fruits, vegetables and an adequate fluid intake to severe disease in patients with acute pancreatitis.
In the study of over 300 patients, about 81% of patients who had severe acute pancreatitis consumed less than three portions of fresh fruit and vegetables per day compared with 58.6 of patients who had mild bouts of acute pancreatitis. The patients who developed severe acute pancreatitis had a lower mean daily fluid intake prior to the onset of acute pancreatitis.
Low fruit, vegetable and fluid intake were found to be independently associated with severe disease in the patients. The researchers suggested that all patients who have developed acute pancreatitis be counseled for dietary modification.
Severe acute pancreatitis is often characterized by organ failure, especially renal failure. Although mild pancreatitis is painful, patients are typically discharged in 2-3 days whereas with sever acute pancreatitis, as many as 20%-30% of patients die and the length of stay for these patients can be about 30 days.
The evidence presented suggests that if you change your diet to include more fruits and vegetables and to drink more water, if you have pancreatitis, it will be a much milder form. Also, eating a healthy diet can decrease your chance of even developing the disease.
