Blood work result?
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armstrongpilot
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Blood work result?
I had my uab blood test back. My lipase was 10 on a scale of 11 to 82. What causes it to be low and how can i fix it? Can this be causing some of my food issues? Will digestive enzymes help? Stupid lazy pancrease!
That seems to be a rather common problem with MC (though most doctors are probably unaware that it's associated with MC). It's why so many of us have problems with fat malabsorption whenever our MC is active. It's due (IMO) in part to the inflammation, made worse by a magnesium deficiency (which is extremely common among MC patients). Yes, low lipase production can significantly compromise fat digestion/absorption. Enzymes might help, if you can tolerate them. When I tried digestive enzymes they made me mighty sick — so sick that I still wouldn't touch 1 with a 10-foot pole, but some members here claim that they seem to help.
There are several reasons why I believe that a magnesium deficiency is at least partially responsible for that problem. First, research shows that a magnesium deficiency causes insulin resistance and reduced insulin production from the pancreas (IOW, a magneisium deficiency compromises pancreatic functioning).
The Insulin Magnesium Story
Second, research on rats shows that magnesium deficiency causes a reduction in lipase associated with the liver and adrenals:
I can't find any research articles suggesting that pancreatic lipase production associated with a magnesium deficiency has ever been investigated. But the fact that other production by the pancreas (insulin, for example) is compromised by a magnesium deficiency strongly suggests that additional pancreatic production may also be compromised.
And finally, the accumulated experiences of the members of this forum show that it's non uncommon for MC patients to have some degree of pancreatitis (inflamed pancreas), and this causes reduced output from the pancreas. It seems that virtually any organ in the digestive system can suffer the same type of inflammation (lymphocyte infiltration) as the colon, and this leads to functional problems. Research shows that magnesium deficiency is commonly associated with chronic pancreatitis, despite normal serum magnesium test results.
Magnesium deficiency in patients with chronic pancreatitis identified by an intravenous loading test.
I hope that some of this is helpful.
Tex
There are several reasons why I believe that a magnesium deficiency is at least partially responsible for that problem. First, research shows that a magnesium deficiency causes insulin resistance and reduced insulin production from the pancreas (IOW, a magneisium deficiency compromises pancreatic functioning).
The Insulin Magnesium Story
Second, research on rats shows that magnesium deficiency causes a reduction in lipase associated with the liver and adrenals:
Effect of magnesium deficiency on post-heparin lipase activity and tissue lipoprotein lipase in the rat.The results indicate that hepatic lipase is significantly decreased in Mg-deficient rats but the low PHLA is due mainly to a decline in LPL.
I can't find any research articles suggesting that pancreatic lipase production associated with a magnesium deficiency has ever been investigated. But the fact that other production by the pancreas (insulin, for example) is compromised by a magnesium deficiency strongly suggests that additional pancreatic production may also be compromised.
And finally, the accumulated experiences of the members of this forum show that it's non uncommon for MC patients to have some degree of pancreatitis (inflamed pancreas), and this causes reduced output from the pancreas. It seems that virtually any organ in the digestive system can suffer the same type of inflammation (lymphocyte infiltration) as the colon, and this leads to functional problems. Research shows that magnesium deficiency is commonly associated with chronic pancreatitis, despite normal serum magnesium test results.
Magnesium deficiency in patients with chronic pancreatitis identified by an intravenous loading test.
I hope that some of this is helpful.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.