The pancreas is a small organ located in the abdomen of our body; it has a significant role in food digestion and blood sugar regulation. The pancreas has two central functions: exocrine and endocrine function of pancreas.
The pancreas produces enzymes to help digest food (exocrine) and hormones such as insulin and glucagon to regulate blood sugar (endocrine).
Further, the function of the pancreas in the digestive system is to release enzymes to break down carbs, fat, and protein. If the pancreas doesn’t release enough digestive enzymes for the breakdown of food, it makes you feel fatigued, gain weight, bloated, and constipated. The condition of the inflamed pancreas is known as pancreatitis. The most common causes of pancreatitis are gallstones and heavy alcohol intake.
Even a slight inflammation in the pancreas impacts the blood sugar level, and further inflammation causes diabetes. So, it’s essential to maintain pancreatic health and function for overall well-being. This blog highlights ways to improve pancreatic health and functions.
7 Symptoms of Pancreas Problems
Symptoms may change depending on the cause of pancreatic diseases; however, you may experience these common signs;
- Abdominal pain
- Back pain
- Nausea
- vomiting
- skin and eyes became yellow (jaundice)
- Expel foul-smelling and fatty feces.
- Unusual weight loss.
How to improve pancreas function naturally
The first and foremost thing to enhance your pancreas health and function is to maintain your lifestyle habits for optimal pancreas function. Adopting a healthy lifestyle can pay off; you can prevent pancreatic diseases and diabetes. Here are some tips to keep the pancreas healthy to avoid diabetes and improve its function naturally.
1-Maintain a Balanced Diet
You must take a nutrient-rich diet with vegetables, fruits, protein, whole grains, and healthy fat to improve pancreas function.
Foods to repair the pancreas
- Add green leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, cabbage, radish, arugula, and cauliflower to promote the normal functioning of the pancreas.
- Take citrus fruits such as lemon, oranges, and kiwi for the average production of digestive enzymes to maintain the pancreas’s health.
- Consume garlic, as it has an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant impact that can reduce the toxicity of the pancreas.
- Add turmeric to your food, as it can reduce the inflammation and risk of pancreatic cancer.
- Also, add yogurt, which contains an active probiotic culture that helps digestion and protects the pancreas.
- Use high-protein foods such as eggs, lentils, nuts, fish, and unprocessed meat.
- Keep your body hydrated and drink at least 8 glasses of water, as dehydration can induce inflammation in the pancreas.
- Additionally, you can consume hydrated food like watermelon, cucumber, strawberries, Tomatoes, and lettuce to fulfill your daily needs.
Avoid food that affects pancreas health.
Besides eating healthy foods, restrict your intake of food that irritates your pancreas. These meals make it difficult for the pancreas to release digestive enzymes and, as a result, cause acidity and indigestion.
Let’s sneak peek at the foods to avoid for a healthy pancreas.
- Fried and processed food.
- Avoid eating red meat and processed meat.
- Oily sauces and spreads, like mayonnaise.
- Cut off tea and coffee—replace it with herbal teas like chamomile, ginger, peppermint, and green tea.
- Full-fat dairy
- Cookies, pastries, and cakes
- Ice cream
- Vegetable oils
- Margarine
- Butter
- Excess sugar
2-Maintain your Eating Habits to improve Pancreatic Health
Include healthy foods in your daily diet plan or adopting a healthy eating pattern is vital to ensure optimal pancreatic function. Here is a brief view of the healthy eating habits that help the pancreas to perform well.
- Cooking Method: Cooking your meal through steaming, baking, or grilling is healthier than deep frying your food.
- Portion meal: Don’t overeat as it stresses your pancreas to produce extra enzymes to break down food, so divide your meal into portions for a sound digestive system.
- Make a regular eating routine: Ensure that you eat a balanced diet at the same time regularly to keep your body on track.
3-Maintain a healthy weight
Obesity can lead to more health problems like pancreatitis and diabetes, along with other diseases. So, it’s crucial to maintain your weight to reduce the risk of pancreatic problems. You can do this by consistently eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly.
4-Restrict Alcohol Consumption and Smoking
When you drink heavy alcohol then, it causes inflammation in the pancreas, a health condition called pancreatitis. Therefore, limit your alcohol intake or avoid it altogether to save your pancreas from damage. Also, the research proved that heavy drinking patterns can increase pancreatic cancer risk.
Along with alcohol, smoking also affects the function of the pancreas, and by quitting it, you can feel a difference in your health condition. You might not consider smoking as dangerous for your pancreas, but it’s the opposite. Moreover, a study found that smoking independently connected with an increased risk of pancreatitis.
5-Exercise Regularly
Physical activity not only supports the optimal function of the pancreas but is also beneficial for the overall body. Therefore, exercise daily or at least 150 minutes a week to improve your pancreas health and function.
6-Manage Stress
Taking stress gives you nothing other than health problems, including pancreatitis and digestive issues. However, there are some techniques that you can use to manage your daily stress, like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing.
7-Regular Checkups
At Last, regular checkups can help you diagnose the health problem earlier. If you find any symptoms of pancreatitis, consult your healthcare provider. Your doctor will perform screening and tests to diagnose your problem. Meanwhile, you get to know earlier about your rising health concerns.
Conclusion
Now, you gain a basic understanding of the pancreas and its function. We provide you with tips on how to improve pancreas function naturally. By following these tips, you can keep the pancreas healthy to avoid diabetes and other health complications. All you have to do is adopt a healthy lifestyle, take food that repairs the pancreas, and prevent that strain on your pancreas. At first, you may find it difficult to leave your bad habit, but it will be worth it in the end for your overall health. You can improve your pancreas function naturally and lead a healthy life.
Reference
Tolstrup JS, Kristiansen L, Becker U, Grønbæk M. Smoking and Risk of Acute and Chronic Pancreatitis Among Women and Men: A Population-Based Cohort Study. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(6):603–609. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2008.601
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(03)13139-X
MDPI and ACS Style
Lu, P.-Y.; Shu, L.; Shen, S.-S.; Chen, X.-J.; Zhang, X.-Y. Dietary Patterns and Pancreatic Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis. Nutrients 2017, 9, 38. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9010038
AMA Style
Lu P-Y, Shu L, Shen S-S, Chen X-J, Zhang X-Y. Dietary Patterns and Pancreatic Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2017; 9(1):38. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9010038
Chicago/Turabian Style
Lu, Pei-Ying, Long Shu, Shan-Shan Shen, Xu-Jiao Chen, and Xiao-Yan Zhang. 2017. “Dietary Patterns and Pancreatic Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis” Nutrients 9, no. 1: 38. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu901003