In recent years, more health experts have been recommending nutritional supplements or foods that are high in antioxidants, as a way of fighting disease.

Now, new research suggests antioxidants may lessen abdominal pain among people who suffer from pancreatitis.

Currently, it is very difficult to treat pain associated with pancreatitis because it is not very well understood, researchers at the All India Institute of Sciences said. For this reason, the results of the trial provided hope for future treatments, they added.

“We are encouraged by our findings, as significant improvement was noted with antioxidants in respect to all the parameters of pain in this study,” commented lead author Dr. Pramod Kumar Garg.

As part of the study, patients with pancreatitis were given either antioxidants or a placebo. Those who took the antioxidants saw a higher reduction in the number of painful days they experienced.

Meanwhile, nearly one-third (32 percent) of the antioxidant group found themselves completely rid of pain, compared with only 13 percent of the placebo group.

Pancreatitis may be either acute or chronic and usually develops in people between the ages of 30 and 40.