Inflammation of the pancreas, a gland located behind the stomach that produces the hormone insulin, sends around 210,000 Americans to the hospital each year. Pain, which can be severe, often occurs suddenly as part of an acute illness that includes fever, pain and swelling in the abdomen, nausea and vomiting and a fast heartbeat. Treatment normally consists of pain medication, intravenous fluid and rest. Quercetin, a plant pigment and bioflavonoid, may have strong antioxidant properties that may help prevent of treat pancreatitis, although clinical studies have not established this in humans.
Properties
Bioflavonoids, plant substances that act as antioxidants, attack and destroy free radicals, unpaired electrons that can damage DNA in cells. Damage from free radicals can lead to diseases such as cancer or heart disease. Quercetin's value as an antioxidant has been shown in test tubes but not in human studies. Quercetin also has anti-inflammatory properties that could reduce the inflammation in pancreatitis.
Studies
A Brazilian study published in the 2010 "Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin" compared the benefits of quercetin versus thalidomide on pancreatitis induced in mice. Both quercetin and thalidomide lessened the severity of pancreatitis when given before pancreatitis was induced. Quercetin showed both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in this study.
Risks
Quercetin can cause headache or stomach ache. Pregnant women should not take bioflavonoids, including quercetin, during pregnancy. Quercetin may also potentiate the effects of some cancer drugs as well as anticoagulants. If you take anticoagulants and quercetin, you may have excessive bleeding.
Considerations
Quercetin may not have the same antioxidants in humans that it has in test tubes or animal studies. A report by the Linus Pauling Institute in the December 2006 issue of "Free Radical Biology and Medicine" stated that the value of fruits and vegetables containing bioflavonoids may be in macro and micronutrients they contain rather than the bioflavonoids. Do not take quercetin to treat pancreatitis, a potentially serious disease, without your doctor's approval and supervision.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Quercetin; Steven Ehrlich; May 2009
- NYU Langone Medical Center; Quercetin; February 2011
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders; Pancreatitis; July 2008
- "Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin; The Natural Flavonoid Querceti Ameliorates Cerulein-Induced Acute Pancreatitis in Mice; K. Carvalho, et al.; 2010
- "Free Radical Biology and Medicine"; Consumption of Flavonoid-Rich Foods and Increased Plasma Antioxidant Capacity in Humans: Cause, Consequence, or Epiphenomenon; S. Lotito, et al.; December 2006
