The pancreas is most likely an organ you’ve never truly pondered. It is situated in the upper piece of your belly (mid-region) behind your stomach, and is ensured by your ribs toward the back. The pancreas can be depicted as having a head, body and a tail. The head is found more toward your liver on the right, while the tail rushes to one side, under your stomach, an almost to your spleen. The pancreas has two general positions which are vital = it discharges digestive juices called enzymes and that cycle is called an exocrine capacity. The other general function it does is putting hormones into your blood, which assist with a wide assortment of capacities in your body. This work is called an endocrine process.
The actual function of the pancreas was not discovered until the 19th century. It was later understood that the pancreatic juices were designed for two functions.
The pancreas releases hormones into the blood which help control your blood sugars (glucose). These two important chemicals are called insulin and glucagon.
The secretions from the pancreases enter the duodenum as digestive juices and help with the digestion of the food we consume.
Insulin is released after you eat, or you have too much sugar (glucose) in your blood. It forces the sugar to go into your muscles and other cells to prevent the damage caused by too much sugar.
The pancreas also produces hormones that passes into the blood. The blood then carries these hormones to different parts of the body where they perform some of the most vital functions of the body.
When your sugar (glucose) is low, the pancreas releases another hormone called glucagon. This makes the liver release sugars, which keeps your brain and other organs that depend on sugar (glucose) happy.
In 19th century the experts understood that the pancreatic juice consists of special agents that help to break down the large molecules of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
The pancreas also makes several chemicals called digestive enzymes. These are released into your intestines when you eat to help digest your food.
In 1840s, Claude Bernard – a French physiologist eventually managed to show that the pancreatic juices as well as bile coming from liver were both responsible for breaking down the fat content of the food we consume.
The main enzymes the pancreas releases are for digesting fats and proteins. These enzymes basically chop up proteins and fats to help the body absorb them through the intestines.
Since the pancreases provide digestive juices, it is highly possible that these juices can digest the pancreas itself. To prevent this from happening, the organ actually releases proteolytic enzymes which stay as pro-enzymes and prevent digestion of the pancreas.
The pancreas also releases a fluid that contains bicarbonate – basically, baking soda. This helps to balance, or neutralize, the acids coming into the intestine from the stomach.
When put under microscope, it is observed that the pancreas is divided into smaller spherical units known as the acini (singular – acinus, which in Latin means ‘berry’). Acini are spherical in shape and the enzyme secreting cells are present in each acinus around a central space.
Cells in the pancreas (called beta cells) that release insulin can be damaged. This causes a condition called diabetes, and people who have diabetes have to be very careful about how much sugar they eat, and what medicines they take.
Depending upon the acidic content of the stomach, the pancreas releases the exact amount of alkaline juices that can exactly neutralize the acidic content.
The name pancreas comes from the Greek language, and is spelled “pankreas.” Pan means “all,” and “kreas” means meat. So, pancreas really means “all meat.” Many parts of the world eat the pancreas of various animals, and it is considered a very rich food.
With normal eating habits of a healthy adult, the pancreas release nearly a liter of pancreatic juices every single day!
