Your pancreas produces enzymes to help with the digestion of food. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is a condition that occurs when the pancreas fails to provide the necessary amount of digestive enzymes. Due to a lack of these enzymes, people with EPI cannot properly digest the nutrients in food such as fats, proteins, and carbohydrates (maldigestion).You might experience symptoms like bloating, gas, pain, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation. Because these symptoms are similar to IBS, your doctor might have a difficult time properly diagnosing your condition. However, if you are properly diagnosed with EPI, there is a lot you can do to help manage the symptoms. For instance, you can alter the way you eat and the types of foods you eat, such as eating more frequent meals with less volume. It's important not to over-stuff your system and to balance out protein, fat and carbohydrates. Joy Bauer, RD, MS, joins host Lisa Davis to share more about EPI, including the guide she created to help people navigate the condition (Living with EPI: A Nutrition Guide).
