Fire in the belly: Pancreatitis and Pancreatic Enzyme Insufficiency
How genes related to inflammatory response play a role in pancreas problems.
Hi there,
My latest article is a deep dive into pancreatitis and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.
This was a topic suggested by several members, and I thought I knew quite a bit about it from personal and family experiences in the past. However, what I knew from doctors and Google was simply that pancreatitis, which is the pancreas digesting itself, is caused by a gallstone blocking the duct or by alcoholism. True, but only for a portion of patients and without explaining why some get pancreatitis and others don't.
Digging into the research revealed a much bigger picture. It turns out that the story of why pancreatitis occurs is more in-depth than Healthline or WebMD told me. So much so that it took me two weeks to write the article.
The genetic studies and animal research showed the same theme: dysregulation of the inflammatory response and autophagy.
The more common genetic variants that researchers have linked to pancreatitis paint a clear picture that an overactive inflammatory response is at the heart of the problem.
Animal studies show that pancreatitis can result from elevated levels of certain inflammatory pathways (without the need for trypsin, a protein-degrading enzyme) and from incomplete autophagy.
Both lines of research relate to the role of the gut microbiome, leaky gut and regulation of the immune response.
Studies of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) have shown that it is a much more common problem than I thought.
EPI is defined as a significantly reduced release of pancreatic enzymes. It causes bloating, gas, and bowel problems after meals because food is not fully digested in the small intestine.
Studies show that 15% of people over the age of 70 have EPI. I also found it interesting that some people who were diagnosed with SIBO turned out to have EPI when tested.
If you know someone who has pancreatic problems, please share this article with them.
Gratefully yours,
Debbie
Pancreatitis: Genetics, causes, and pancreatic insufficiency
Key takeaways:
~ Acute pancreatitis is a painful, severe inflammation of the pancreas.
~ Recent research shines new light on the underlying mechanisms that cause pancreatitis.
~ Genetic variants increase susceptibility to pancreatitis, and understanding these genetic pathways may help to prevent a recurrence.
~ Targeting the right pathways with diet and natural supplements may help.
This article takes a deep dive into pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.
Tangentially related topic...
Genetic reasons why Low FODMAPs isn’t working for you (SI Gene)
Don’t you hate it when the solution to a health problem works for everyone else but not you? The FODMAPs diet is a great IBS diet — for many people. But your genes make you unique, and your IBS issue may not have the same root cause as others.
This article digs into the research on how genetic variants that decrease a specific digestive enzyme can cause IBS. Included are links to check your genetic data to see if this could apply to you.
New on Longevity Lifehacks:
New on Long Spike:
What I've been reading:
1. A catatonic woman awakened after 20 years. Her story may change psychiatry.
This Washington Post article tells the story of a woman who had a psychotic break at age 21 while she was in college -- in 1995. Since then she had been in a psychiatric hospital in a catatonic state, "trapped in her mind". It turned out that she had lupus, which had caused an autoimmune reaction in her brain in the same areas that cause schizophrenia and psychosis. After months of lupus treatment, she was well enough to leave the psychiatric hospital for the first time in more than two decades.
My hope is that this story helps to change the views on mental health. For example, the genetics research on depression and anxiety show multiple pathways that cause physiological changes in the brain.
2. Light at night literally changes the brain
While I knew that exposure to electronics and artificial light at night alters circadian gene expression, I was surprised by this animal study showing that exposure to light at night changes the vascular structure in the hippocampus.