Pancreatitis worse from keto

(MARY Harrington) #1

I just started keto on the advice of my 38 year old daughter. Very excited, but after 4 days I remembered that I have had pancreatitis 3 times, in the hospital for a week each time. My doctor told me at the time it was the fatty food I liked to eat. My question: does anyone know if this high fat diet is likely to cause me to get it again? (My brother-in-law died from pancreatitis.)

#2

So keto’s main goal is to eat less carbs, in order to lower insulin, in order to begin burning body fat. Lowering insulin levels in your body will mean that the pancreas will dial insulin secretion back. Logic tells me that having the pancreas work less should reduce the risk of it becoming inflamed, not encourage it.

(MARY Harrington) #3

That sounds reasonable. Thank you.

(Carl Keller) #4

Hello and welcome Mary.

You might find this forum thread helpful in determining if keto is right for you. Personally (I’m not an expert), I believe the cutting out sugar and the processed carbs part of keto is definitely something that wil improve your health.

Best wishes to you.

(MARY Harrington) #5

Ok, you have given me hope. I am 4 days in and feeling sickly. My doctor actually is supportive of keto… I will keep on trying to get better. Not terribly overweight, about 12 lb. My daughter said after I lose this, I can add some more carbs. Is that right?

(Carl Keller) #6

I wondered the same thing when I started keto and so much about my health and perspective toward eating has changed since then that the question has a much different meaning to me. You see, since I stopped eating processed foods and sugars, I feel 20 years younger because removing those things also got rid of chronic, nagging inflammation that I once thought was just a part of getting old. Once that inflammation left me, it was like a great weight was lifted off my shoulders that I didn’t realize I had even been carrying. Furthermore, my brain seemed like it was as sharp as it ever was. I was thinking more clearly and my attitude and patience were 100% better. Now I understand that processed foods and sugars were poisoning me and now that they are in my rear view mirror, I don’t want them anymore. No more cravings for fried chicken and bread and pastries etc. They are completely gone.

So back to original question and how it pertains to me. The question “Can I go back to eating more carbs” used to mean: “Can I go back to eating pizza, bread and desserts”. But now it means : “what type of good carbs can I add to my diet without poisoning my current state of good health”.

So keep that question in mind and ask it again, to yourself, after you are closer to your goal weight.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #7

Mary, I agree with Carl. It’s a matter of WHAT kind of carbs you can begin to add in as you determine what you can tolerate and still have the benefits you experience while in ketosis. Some people aim for low carbs and maintaining weight and feel just fine adding in things like veggies with higher carbs or occasional fruit.

This way of eating forces us to really consider every food item we put in our mouth. I can’t tell you the last time I ate something with more than five ingredients on the label. Before it was a paragraph of chemicals I tried to ignore as I ate the “tasty” but poisonous thing.

(MARY Harrington) #8

Yes I do understand… I don’t want to eat processed food any more. It helps to have you all give me your thoughts…

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #9

Welcome to the forums, Mary!

I will look for some studies, but I don’t think too much fat is the cause of pancreatitis. As the others have posted, I am pretty sure that eating in a way that keeps insulin secretion low is going to help your pancreas, not hurt it. I suspect it’s the same as with fat and the kidneys: too much fat might not be good for the kidneys in the end stages of kindey disease, but a low-carb, high-fat diet can certainly help reverse kidney disease in the earlier stages. So unless your pancreas is really bad off, you are probably going to see an improvement, if you stay keto.

I know that having to secrete a lot of insulin causes a lot of wear and tear on the ß-cells in the pancreas (not to mention the fact that too much glucose in the blood causes damage throughout the body), and carbohydrate stimulates insulin the most, whereas fat stimulates it the least, so it stands to reason that a way of eating that give the pancreas a break has got to be a good thing.

(Bunny) #10

Unfortunately the ketogenic diet (high fat diet) could be very very dangerous (the pancreas is trying to eat\digest itself[2][4]) with pancreatitis, you have to take care of the pancreatitis first, if possible?

I have friend who has this (chronic pancreatitis) and she cannot do keto unfortunately.

This is one of those rare things that makes me draw blanks on what to do? Not enough digestive enzymes to digest high fat? But this looks promising:

“…Advice from a nutritionist can help during this time. In some people, the pancreas doesn’t produce enough digestive juices (for a while) after the pancreatitis has cleared up. If that happens, artificial pancreatic enzymes can be taken with meals to help the body absorb food fats. …More

References:

  1. Pancreatitis Symptoms: 11 Natural Ways to Prevent & Manage
  1. Pancreatitis Diet + 5 Tips for Prevention Management “…The pancreas is the central organ where the essential enzymes are produced for digestion and hormones are produced that help the body process sugar. The pancreas can malfunction, causing the digestive enzymes to activate while still in the pancreas instead of in the digestive tract. This can lead to inflammation and pancreatitis. In both acute and chronic patients, scar tissue may form, causing the pancreas to not perform optimally or even fail. …”
  1. 7 Strategies to Heal Pancreatitis Naturally
  1. “…Even slightly puncturing the pancreas during surgery can cause it to begin digesting itself. …” …More
(MARY Harrington) #11

Thank you for helping me. I have been very sick this week with a sore throat, nerve pain (?),

mucous (from the milk I think) and I cannot even talk aloud.
I think I will wait or else maybe try the Paleo diet. My daughter is doing great on Keto!