{"id":1419,"date":"2022-11-18T08:37:32","date_gmt":"2022-11-18T08:37:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/?p=1419"},"modified":"2022-12-14T09:13:09","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T09:13:09","slug":"how-to-keep-pancreas-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/omar-rashid\/how-to-keep-pancreas-healthy\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Keep Pancreas Healthy"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are a lot of articles about heart health and blog posts about keeping your brain, lungs, and liver healthy, but when it comes to pancreas health and preventing pancreatitis, there\u2019s much less to read up on. Still, this organ should be talked about more; more precisely, habits that can keep it healthy and help avoid severe conditions such as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency or EPI.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As such, in this blog post, <\/span>Dr. Omar Rashid<\/span><\/a> and his expert team will discuss the importance of a <\/span>healthy pancreas<\/span><\/a> and how patients can keep the said organ in optimal health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What does a Healthy Pancreas Look Like?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

The pancreas is located in the abdomen, near the gallbladder, liver, and spleen, behind the stomach. Experts usually refer to the pancreas as an organ with an odd shape, often described as something similar to a pear, but often, some experts will say that it bears some resemblance even to a tadpole. Because of this, a lot of people outside the medical field might not have even seen a picture of the pancreas and aren\u2019t even sure what the organ\u2019s essential functions are.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On that end, a healthy pancreas is responsible for secreting fluids into the gastrointestinal tract that aid in breaking down the nutrients from the foods we consume. Apart from that, the pancreas is also responsible for producing the hormone insulin (which the majority of readers have probably heard about). This hormone helps control blood sugar levels in the body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, medical issues can occur with the pancreas. According to data from the National Pancreas Foundation, around 300,000 people a year are treated in hospitals throughout the United States for acute pancreatitis or inflammation in the pancreas, which, if left unaddressed, may even become a life-threatening problem. And as mentioned above, pancreatitis may also lead to EPI, which develops when the human body simply won\u2019t prejudice enough digestive enzymes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Luckily, there are several steps people can take to keep their pancreas healthy and to reduce the potential risks of developing pancreatitis, which may cause further, more severe complications. Still, before we discuss the preventative steps to avoid pancreatitis, we will first talk about the condition itself, its causes, and how it can lead to more severe health problems if not addressed in time.<\/span><\/p>\n

About Pancreatitis<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Doctor<\/p>\n

To know how to avoid pancreatitis, first, we must understand what the condition actually means and its causes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pancreatitis can be best understood as a condition in which the pancreas becomes inflamed. The digestive enzymes start slowly breaking down the organ itself instead of being active only inside the intestines performing their main function.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aside from causing a lot of pain and discomfort, this condition can also highly interfere with basic digestive processes and prevent adequate food\/nutrient absorption, leading to nausea, bloating, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Needless to say, as the rate at which the digestive system can absorb nutrients diminishes, other health problems may also develop, such as unintended weight loss and nutritional deficiencies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pancreatitis can be either chronic, which repeatedly occurs long-term, or acute, appearing suddenly and getting better after treatment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the most part, acute cases go away within only a few days with the help of some dietary changes and alcohol abstinence. In other cases, acute pancreatitis may also require treatments like pain medication, antibiotics, fluids, or a minor medical procedure in which doctors manually widen the patient\u2019s pancreatic bile duct opening.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, chronic cases are much more severe, as they can potentially cause significant damage to the pancreas and may lead to the development of EPI.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Avoid Pancreatitis: Understanding the Causes\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Experts usually state that alcohol abuse and gallstones are the leading causes of pancreatitis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The latter are small pebbles from hardened bile. They can trigger acute inflammation if they get stuck in or pass through the bile duct, the common tube that connects the pancreas, gallbladder, and liver to the small intestine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Consuming alcohol may also cause harm and damage to the pancreas. Because of this, many doctors recommend the cessation of alcohol consumption to lower the risks of pancreatitis development.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some expert sources state that alcohol abuse is the second leading cause of acute pancreatitis, preceded only by gallstones. On the other hand, alcohol is the main leading cause of chronic pancreatitis cases, being the main culprit behind 40 to 70% of all reported cases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, other pancreatitis causes can include the following:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n