Insulin offers new hope for the treatment of acute pancreatitis

Recent research, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, shows that insulin prevents toxic effects of alcohol and fatty acid metabolites, which could help people with acute pancreatitis.

Acute pancreatitis involves the pancreas digesting itself, resulting in severe abdominal pain, vomiting and systemic inflammation. Every year in the UK around 20,000 patients are diagnosed with the disease resulting in 10,000 deaths. There is no immediate cure and treatment is restricted to intravenous fluid and nutritional support.

Jason Bruce, from the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Manchester, UK, who led the research, said: "The major causes of pancreatitis include bile acid reflux from gall stones and excessive alcohol intake combined with a high fat diet. In fact, the incidence of acute pancreatitis significantly increases during the Christmas period when alcohol and fat consumption is at its highest amongst the general population."