Meet Your Pancreas Part 1

Two Functions for the Price of One

Have you met your pancreas? Probably not. You might not even know that it existed. Chances are you probably know more about one of its products, insulin. Does that ring a bell? I'm glad it does. This article is a 3 part series featuring your pancreas. Part 1 looks at how important it is in your life, Part 2 looks at how to tell if its not working well, and Part 3 looks at what you can do to support it. In Part 1, you’ll see that you can't survive without a pancreas...it gets a little scientific, but bear with me.

The word pancreas came from the Greek word pankreas. It means “all flesh”. Your pancreas is a gland which belongs to both your digestive and endocrine (hormone manufacturing) systems. It's a shy gland which hides behind your stomach, deep in your upper abdomen. To its left is your spleen and to its right is the first part of your small intestine (duodenum). Take a look at the figures below; you can see what it looks like and where is sits in your body.

Histologically speaking (meaning when you take a look at your pancreas under the microscope), your pancreas is made up of two types of tissues, exocrine and endocrine. It follows that your pancreas serves two main functions, as a digestive gland and an endocrine gland. Exocrine means that the gland secretes or releases it's enzymes through a duct (small tube) before it reaches the site of action. On the other hand, endocrine means that the gland releases it's products directly into your bloodstream. The pancreas has both. Amazing, right? And you never thought or cared about your pancreas until now? Well I hope as you read on you’ll have a deeper appreciation for what it does.

The exocrine portion of the pancreas is like the salivary gland in your mouth. The one which makes saliva. Your saliva contains the enzyme amylase. The pancreas also produces the enzyme amylase which digests carbohydrates into simple sugars. The exocrine part comprises about 80% to 85% of the whole pancreas. The pancreatic enzymes reach the duodenum (first part of your small intestine) through the main and/or accessory ducts (Exocrine remember? With ducts!). The enzymes then start digesting the food you ate. In addition to amylase, the pancreas also produces the following:

Trypsin, chymotrypsin, carboxypeptidase, peptidases – Remember that steak you ate last night with your buddy? These pancreatic enzymes are the ones responsible for the breakdown of protein into amino acids.
Lipase – This enzyme takes care of the bacon you had this morning. It degrades triglycerides (fats) into itsy bitsy pieces composed of fatty acids and glycerol.
Pancreatic amylase (you met this one) – This one is for the pasta you'll be having for lunch. It breaks down carbohydrates including starch and glycogen.

The enzymes above, when all mixed together, are called pancreatic juice. You're probably wondering how come these enzymes don't digest your pancreas when they're produced and stored there. The enzymes are stored in their inactive forms. When they're released, they become activated. It's only during that time that they can exert their physiologic functions. Isn’t the body amazing in the way it works?!

Now let's proceed to the endocrine portion. This is the one you probably know better because insulin comes from this portion of the pancreas. The endocrine part is made up of around 1 million groups of cells called the islets of Langerhans cells. This group of cells constitutes only about 1% to 2% of the entire pancreas! Imagine if this part of the pancreas gets damaged or sick. Your pancreas may never have the chance to produce insulin or the other hormones again. Besides insulin, the endocrine part also produces and releases the following hormones:

Glucagon – raises the level of glucose in your blood. It's action is the opposite of what insulin does. Glucagon makes your liver break down glycogen into glucose. The glucose is then released into the bloodstream. If you're feeling hypoglycemic (low blood glucose levels), your pancreas will secrete glucagon to normalize blood sugar levels.
Somatostatin – this hormone stops the secretion of stomach acid.
Pancreatic polypeptide – this hormone is responsible for regulating the secretion of both the endocrine and exocrine portion.
Insulin – insulin enables your liver and muscles to absorb and store glucose (as glycogen). Excess glucose is converted and stored as fat.

If you have hyperglycemia (high blood glucose), which is frequently seen among diabetics, your pancreas secretes insulin. Unfortunately for diabetics, there is either insufficient amounts of insulin or the insulin being produced by the pancreas is defective or not properly functioning. This is the reason why insulin shots or other anti-diabetic medications are necessary.

Grossly speaking (not under the microscope), if you're holding the pancreas in the palm of your hand, you will see that it has five parts. The uncinate (hook-shaped) portion, head, neck, body and tail. See the figure below.

To sum it all up, the pancreas takes care of business in two body systems, the endocrine and digestive. Can you imagine living without a pancreas? You can't. This is the reason why you should take good care of it. The many functions it performs are far too valuable to ignore. The endocrine portion predominantly keeps your glucose in check, while the exocrine portion makes sure that you can digest and absorb the nutrients you eat.

Check out for Part 2 of this series where we will look at clues on how you can determine if your pancreas is sick.