Guide To Treating Chronic Pancreatitis

Shift To A Low Fat Diet

Chronic pancreatitis patients may be advised to shift to a low-fat diet as part of their treatment regimen. This diet restriction is to reduce general pancreatic and digestive inflammation and to prevent an acute flare-up. Any food cooked in oil or grease, such as fast food and fried food, should be avoided entirely. Full fat meat, dairy, and creamy sauces are also common suspects of pancreatic inflammation. Foods such as white bread, anything with a significant amount of high fructose corn syrup, and high in sugar should be avoided. Processed meats and canned foods have ingredients that are unhealthy for the pancreas. The reason for these restrictions in the diet for chronic pancreatitis patients is due to their increased sensitivity to foods that are already difficult for even a healthy individual to digest, like fatty foods. Fatty foods can push the pancreas to overwork itself and produce more enzymes than it is able to in order to digest the food. This mechanism may even result in an overproduction of enzymes that do not leave the pancreas before they become activated. When enzymes are activated before they make it to the small intestine, they begin to digest whichever structure is nearest to them.