Acute pancreatitis, what some people might call an “attack,” usually comes on suddenly and can be painful enough to require medical care.

In fact, it’s the leading cause of hospital admissions due to gastrointestinal disease.

Roughly 20 percent of patients develop moderate to severe pancreatitis which can lead to lifelong complications that significantly affect their quality of life. In severe cases, patients can die.

In pancreatitis, digestive enzymes become activated too soon, causing them to attack the pancreas, resulting in inflammation and swelling that over time, may not heal or worsen leaving lasting damage.

That’s why repeat attacks can lead to chronic pancreatitis, a long-term condition that leads to poor nutritional absorption and increased risks for diabetes and pancreatic cancer.

Fortunately, researchers see the gravity of the situation — specifically the urgent need for a therapy that could inhibit early injury to the pancreas.

They may have the answer in a simple vitamin…

Vitamin B12 could be the key

Researchers used human genetic epidemiology meta-analyses to investigate the relationships between various nutrients and the risk of pancreatitis.

Their analysis revealed that higher vitamin B12 levels were strongly linked to a reduced risk of developing different types of pancreatitis.

Next, the researchers investigated the potential protective and therapeutic effects of vitamin B12 in mice with pancreatitis. They saw that vitamin B12:

• directly protected acinar cells (80 percent of pancreatic cells) from dying during the early stages of acute pancreatitis;
• reduced T lymphocyte infiltration, meaning it stopped T cells from attacking the pancreas.

Artificially increasing blood levels of B12, before and after pancreatitis induction in the mice, not only reduced the severity of the condition but promoted tissue repair after pancreatic injury.

Previous studies of vitamin B12 in pancreatitis found the nutrient protects against pancreatic damage by suppressing oxidative stress and improving mitochondria dysfunction.

However, in the most recent study, vitamin B12’s protective effects in pancreatitis were not mediated the way the researchers expected, through the reduction of homocysteine or the glutathione pathways…

Instead, the nutrient was found to enhance the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in pancreatic tissue:

• reducing acinar cell death,
• preventing disease progression,
• and alleviating pancreatic damage.

This further supports the theory that B12’s protective effects result from improved energy supply rather than oxidative stress regulation, as previously thought.

“These exciting new findings add to the growing evidence that vitamin B12 can reduce the severity of acute pancreatitis by increasing ATP levels in pancreatic tissue, offering novel insights into potential therapeutic strategies for this disease,” says senior author Dr. Xianming Mo of Sichuan University. “This study lays a robust foundation for future clinical applications of vitamin B12 in managing acute pancreatitis,”

Causes and symptoms of acute pancreatitis

The two most common causes of pancreatitis (up to 80 percent of cases) are gallstones and heavy drinking.

Scientists hypothesize that the toxic byproducts of alcohol in the blood cause an inflammatory response in the pancreas, or possibly activate the digestive enzymes inside the pancreas

Less common causes include:

• High blood triglycerides
• Very high levels of calcium in the blood
• Infections such as mumps, hepatitis A or B or salmonella
• Cystic fibrosis, a progressive genetic disease that causes recurring lung infections
• Tumors
• Certain genetic defects or congenital abnormalities in the pancreas
• Belly injury, surgery or trauma to the pancreas
• Certain medications such as estrogens, steroids and thiazide diuretics

A classic symptom of pancreatitis is belly button pain that may spread to the back or chest. Other symptoms include:

• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Rapid heart rate
• Fever
• Swelling and feeling sore or tender in the upper belly
• Fluid buildup in the belly
• Lowered blood pressure
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

If you have any of these symptoms, it’s a good idea to seek medical care. Treatment for acute pancreatitis usually involves resting the pancreas to let it heal and may require a few days in the hospital, IV fluids, pain medication and antibiotics.

In mild cases, patients can eat clear liquids or a low-fat diet. But in severe cases, they may not be able to eat or drink for a few days, and in some extreme situations, a feeding tube may be needed.

Sources:

1. Vitamin B12 Identified as a potential therapeutic agent in the prevention and treatment of acute pancreatitis — EurekAlert!

2. Vitamin B₁₂ protects necrosis of acinar cells in pancreatic tissues with acute pancreatitis — MedComm

3. Pancreatitis — Johns Hopkins Medicine

4. Calcium, mitochondria and the initiation of acute pancreatitis — Pancreatology

5. Vitamin B₁₂ Attenuates Acute Pancreatitis by Suppressing Oxidative Stress and Improving Mitochondria Dysfunction via CBS/SIRT1 Pathway — Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

6. Vitamin B12 — National Institutes of Health