Vitamin d is good for a variety of reasons, but is vitamining bad for the pancrea? Is there a direct relationship between vitamin d and pancreatitis? Are there supplements that can cause pancreatitis?
If you’ve been searching for the best vitamins for pancreas, I’ve found a few that you might want to consider. There are many different reasons as to why a person can experience pancreatitis; some are due to various digestive issues, while others have no known causes. If you find that your pancreas is troubling you, it’s important to know the vitamins and supplements that will help your condition.
vitamins for a healthy pancreas
Vitamins are a group of nutrients which can be found in food and supplements. A healthy body needs all vitamins in order to function properly. Vitamins are not only important for the prevention of diseases, but it is also essential for maintaining good health. Vitamins play an important role for proper digestion and metabolism in our body to help us stay energetic throughout the day. If you have pancreatitis, you must have a balanced diet plan which ensures that there is sufficient amount of calories intake each day so that your pancreas can function properly .
Vitamin D is a nutrient that helps your body absorb calcium and control blood pressure. It’s essential to keeping your bones healthy, immunity good and flushing out toxins. Most people are deficient in Vitamin D even though they take supplements. Supplements are not quite sure why some people get it while others don’t, but my guess is there is a genetic thing going on here.
best vitamins for pancreatitis
Vitamins are important to your health, but you might not know that they can also help with a lot of things. Most of us don’t realize that taking a vitamin can be extremely beneficial in curing diseases and reducing the risk of developing other health problems. If you have heartburn, indigestion or find it difficult to digest food then your pancreas might be out of whack. Understanding vitamins and their effects on the pancreas is a very useful tool in helping one understand the condition better.
Vitamins are a type of supplement that can be taken by anyone to help their body get the nutrients it needs. Vitamins don’t play a huge role in the human body, but they do play an important one. Vitamins help your body grow and manage itself better through enzymes and processes involved with digestion, metabolism and even DNA creation!
supplements that can cause pancreatitis
Your pancreas is an organ and gland that is located in your upper abdomen, near your stomach. The pancreas releases two important hormones, insulin and glucagon, as well as enzymes that help you break down and process food. Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas that may be short-lived or chronic. Vitamins, herbs and other dietary supplements may help treat pancreatitis. However, discuss the possible risks and benefits of supplementation with your doctor before using these substances.
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Pancreatitis and Health
The most common symptom caused by pancreatitis is abdominal pain that is often extreme. If you have acute pancreatitis, your pancreas quickly becomes inflamed, although the inflammation is usually resolved within several days. If you have chronic pancreatitis, however, pancreas inflammation may last for prolonged periods, even years, which can cause irreversible damage in this organ. In some cases, chronic pancreatitis may manifest after repeated bouts of acute pancreatitis.
Herbs, Vitamins and Supplements
Certified nutritional consultant Phyllis Balch, author of “Prescription for Nutritional Healing,” notes that there are many vitamins, herbs and supplements that may help treat pancreatitis. Vitamins B3 and B5 are important for fat and carbohydrate metabolism; vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant; and vitamin E is important in tissue repair. Helpful herbs for this condition include milk thistle, red clover, burdock root, dandelion root, olive leaf, garlic and licorice. Important non-herbal supplements for the treatment of pancreatitis include chromium picolinate, calcium and magnesium and pancreatin.
Highlighted Supplement
Dandelion root is an herbal supplement that is commonly used to help treat pancreatitis. Balch notes that dandelion root helps stimulate and strengthen your pancreas and may improve the function of other organs, too, including the kidneys, spleen and stomach. The root of the dandelion plant contains many phytochemicals and nutrients and is the part of the plant most often used in herbal preparations, although the leaves and flowers may also be used. Dandelion may help cleanse the blood and liver and increase bile production.
Disclaimer
Vitamins, herbs and other dietary supplements should only be used in treating pancreatitis after you have discussed the health benefits and risks with your family physician. A qualified health care professional can evaluate your condition and make other relevant treatment suggestions that may be more appropriate for you. Some dietary supplements may cause unintentional side effects or drug interactions that may be dangerous. Ask your doctor about proper dosage, treatment duration and other herb-related topics.
If you have exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or EPI — a condition in which your pancreas doesn’t produce enough digestive enzymes — then you’re probably used to taking replacement enzymes prescribed by your doctor. Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) has been shown to be highly effective at improving digestion in people with EPI, according to a study published in November 2019 in the Journal of the Pancreas.
But you may benefit from — or even require — other dietary supplements also. Some of them may help ease symptoms associated with EPI, and others can help treat nutritional deficiencies that may develop because of the condition.
“If you have a diagnosis of EPI, you potentially have a deficiency,” says Christy Davis, RD, a dietitian at Baptist Memorial Restorative Care Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Any nutrients you lack can be determined through blood tests, and that’s when you should start the supplements your doctor recommends, she says.
It may sometimes be possible to increase the level of a nutrient in your blood fairly easily by changing your eating patterns. “As a dietitian,” says Davis, “I’d much rather see patients get their vitamins and minerals from actual food sources.” But, she notes, this isn’t always easy or even possible for people with EPI.
That’s where dietary supplements can be of value. It’s important, though, to ask your doctor about any supplements you’re considering taking, as well as when you should get follow-up tests if you have a deficiency, to make sure your supplements are doing their job. Here are nine options to consider asking your doctor about.
1
Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy
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Enzyme replacement is the most important supplement for people with EPI, because it directly treats the condition. It’s important to take your enzymes with every meal, as well as to spread your dose out during the meal as much as possible, according to Joshua S. Forman, MD, a gastroenterologist at the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson.
“Most people with EPI are currently treated with a prescription pancreatic enzyme replacement rather than over-the-counter enzymes,” says Dr. Forman. In rare cases, with patients who can’t afford prescription enzymes, he’s worked to develop a regimen of over-the-counter options, but they can be less reliable.
If you still experience unpleasant symptoms despite taking enzymes diligently, you may need to ask your doctor about increasing your dose, Forman says. “Many people with EPI tend to be underdosed.”
2
Vitamin A
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Forman says that because people with EPI have trouble digesting fat, they’re especially at risk for deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins — A, D, E, and K — if their condition isn’t adequately treated.
An article published in September 2019 in the journal Pancreas found that in people with both chronic pancreatitis and EPI, 35 percent were deficient in vitamin A. Supplements can help prevent these deficiencies if you take an amount tailored to your individual needs. Vitamin A helps your body maintain healthy teeth and bones and can be found in beef, liver, fish, eggs, fortified dairy products, carrots, squash, mangoes, and dark green leafy vegetables.
3
Vitamin D
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Because vitamin D is another fat-soluble vitamin, people with EPI are more likely to be lacking in D than in other nutrients. In fact, the same study in Pancreas found that 63 percent of people with both chronic pancreatitis and EPI were deficient in the vitamin.
Vitamin D is vital for bone health, because it helps your body absorb and maintain levels of calcium. It also helps ensure healthy blood levels of phosphorus.
The best way to get vitamin D is through direct skin exposure to sunlight for about 15 minutes three times a week, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Most food sources don’t naturally contain much vitamin D, but you can find some in fatty fish, fortified cereals, and dairy products. Supplements, if recommended by your doctor, can also help you get adequate amounts.
4
Vitamin E
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Vitamin E is another fat-soluble vitamin likely to be lacking in people with EPI. It helps your body form red blood cells and strengthens the immune system against bacteria and viruses. Vitamin D also helps your body use vitamin K and, as an antioxidant, helps ward off tissue damage throughout the body.
Good food sources of vitamin E include avocados, nuts, seeds, plant oils, and dark green vegetables. If test results show you have a vitamin E deficiency, your doctor will likely suggest supplements for you, too.
5
Vitamin K
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Vitamin K, also a fat-soluble vitamin, helps stimulate the clotting mechanism of blood and is vital to healing wounds, but it’s often lacking in people with EPI. A study published in September 2019 in the journal Nutrition in Clinical Practice found that in people with chronic pancreatitis and EPI, up to 63 percent had a deficiency in vitamin K, and a customized supplement was recommended.
Good food sources of vitamin K include dark green and leafy vegetables — kale, spinach, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, asparagus — as well as cabbage, cauliflower, beef, liver, fish, and eggs.
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Vitamin B12
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Vitamin B12 is sometimes lacking in people with EPI as well. If that’s the case for you, your doctor may prescribe a vitamin B12 supplement.
The vitamin plays an important role in your metabolism, as do other B vitamins. It helps in the formation of red blood cells and the maintenance of your nervous system. You can find it in red meat, poultry, shellfish, eggs, dairy products, and fortified foods such as cereal and soy milk.
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Zinc
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Zinc is a trace mineral that is second only to iron in its concentration in the body, according to StatPearls. A study published in June 2018 in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Research found that people with EPI may be at high risk for zinc deficiency, although supplementation could not be recommended. Zinc plays a role in the growth of cells, the healing of wounds , and the breakdown of carbohydrates in your diet. Good food sources include red meat, dark poultry meat, nuts, whole grains, and legumes, such as beans and peas.
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Calcium
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Calcium helps strengthen your bones and teeth. But because it’s regulated by vitamin D — a fat-soluble vitamin — calcium may not be absorbed properly by your body if you have EPI. This lack of absorption of both calcium and vitamin D means that people with EPI can be at high risk of decreased bone mineral density, which could develop into osteoporosis or osteopenia, according to a study published in November 2019 on F1000 Research.
Calcium is often lacking in people’s diets. Food sources of calcium include leafy green vegetables, salmon and other fatty fish, and dairy products. Calcium supplements can help bridge the gap between how much your body needs and how much it’s able to absorb through diet.
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Probiotics
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Probiotics fall into the category of “shouldn’t hurt, may help,” Forman says. These supplements contain “good” bacteria intended to promote digestive health and support your immune system.
“People can respond differently to probiotics,” Davis says, so it’s important to make sure you’re taking a type and dose that’s right for you. Many strains may be beneficial, but the effectiveness can vary based on the health condition a person is using them for, according to a study published in May 2018 in the journal Frontiers in Medicine.
Probiotics may be an especially good idea if you’ve been taking antibiotics, as they may help replenish the beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract that the antibiotics may have killed off along with the harmful bacteria that caused the infection.
