Individuals who consume 4 servings of vegetables a day reduce
their risk of developing acute pancreatitis by 44% compared to those who eat
less than 1 serving of veggies a day, according to a new study published online
in the journal Gut.
Pancreatitis refers to inflammation of the pancreas, which
releases digestive enzymes to break down food. Acute pancreatitis is a
potentially life-threatening disease that occurs when those enzymes begin to
eat the pancreas itself.
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute investigated whether an
imbalance in antioxidant levels, associated with dietary factors, might make
the pancreas more sensitive to the effects of free radicals and so increase the
risk of acute pancreatitis. They tracked the health of a population-based
sample of 80,000 adults living in central Sweden
On average, those surveyed ate just under 2 servings of fruit
and about 2.5 servings of vegetables daily. During the 11-year study, 320
people developed acute pancreatitis that was not associated with the
complications of gallstones, a relatively common cause of the condition. The
amount of fruit consumed did not seem to influence the risk of developing acute
pancreatitis, but this was not the case for vegetables. After taking account of
factors likely to influence the results, the analysis showed that those who ate
the most vegetables-more than 4 servings a day were 44% less likely to develop
acute pancreatitis than were those who ate less than 1 serving a day.
They also found overweight people and those who consumed more
than one alcoholic drink per day appeared to get the most positive benefit from
eating a lot of vegetables.
The researchers said the most likely explanation for the
protective effect of vegetables is the high level of antioxidants they contain.
The reason why fruit, which also contains high levels of antioxidants, did not
seem to affect the risk of acute pancreatitis, may lie in its fructose content,
which might counter the effects of antioxidants.
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