What Does Your Pancreas Do?
The pancreas breaks down nutrients and makes hormones. The pancreas does tow main things. It makes fluids that contain enzymes, which break down the nutrients in food, like fats and nutrients, so your body can use them. And it makes hormones like insulin to balance your blood sugar levels.
Where Is Your Pancreas Located?
Located behind the stomach, the pancreas is about 6 inches long and looks a bit like a tadpole, with a head, body, and tail. It sits in the abdomen, behind the stomach and in front of the spine.
What Does Your Pancreas Make?
The pancreas makes enzymes, proteins that boost the rate of chemical reactions in your body. Without them, processes that can take seconds or minutes, would take years. Enzymes in the pancreas combine with bile, a liquid made by the liver, to break down food.
Can You Live Without a Pancreas?
Yes, you can, but because the pancreas makes insulin, you'll develop diabetes if you need to have yours removed. That means you'll be dependent on insulin shots (or a pump). It's also hard to manage because the pancreas makes other hormones that control blood sugar.
Can the Pancreas Attack Itself?
Yes. When the ducts, or tubes, in the pancreas become blocked, enzymes build up that causes the pancreas to begin to self-destruct. When this happens, it's called acute pancreatitis. The symptoms are a gradual or sudden pain in the abdomen, which can be mild at first, but usually become severe. Treatment often involves tie in the hospital on IV fluids, without eating or drinking so the pancreas can rest.
Most Common Cause of Chronic Pancreatitis?
Drinking, inherited factors, Cystic Fibrosis, and some medications can cause chronic pancreatitis, but it is most often brought on by years of drinking too much alcohol. People with this ailment should stop drinking, no matter what caused their condition.
How Many Fluid and Enzymes Can Your Pancreas Release?
About a half gallon of fluid or enzymes can be released, but people with certain conditions like pancreatitis, Cystic Fibrosis, and those who've had certain kinds of surgeries, may not make enough pancreatic enzymes. Because these people can't absorb nutrients properly, they need a treatment called a pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy.
What Cells in the Pancreas Make Insulin?
The Islet Cells, (pronounced EYE-lets), are tiny clusters of several different cells in the pancreas. These cells make insulin, which controls your blood sugar levels. They are also called the Islets of Langerhans,for the German pathologist, Paul Langerhans, who first described them in the 1860s.
What Causes Type I Diabetes?
When you have Type I Diabetes, an immune system reaction, certain types of islet cells no longer make enough insulin, because they've been attacked by the body's immune system. All people with Type I Diabetes must take insulin--Type 2 Diabetes results when the body becomes resistant to insulin, usually caused by a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors, including obesity and a lack of physical activity.
How Many People in the U.S. Develop Pancreatic Cancer Each Year?
Although relatively rare, about 45,000 people make up only about 2.8% of new cancer diagnosis. The risk of developing it increases with age, making it more common in people ages 75 - 84. It's hard to detect and is the 4th leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.
Can You Get a Pancreas Transplant?
Yes. Pancreas transplants are mainly done when someone has Type I Diabetes that is extremely hard to control. It is often done at the same time as a kidney transplant so the old pancreas is usually left in place to continue making enzymes. Due to your immune system likely naturally rejecting the new organ, you'll have to take drugs to prevent it for the rest of your life. Pancreas transplants are not possible in people who have pancreatic cancer because the drugs that prevent rejection would also keep your immune system from fighting the cancer.
The Pancreas Can Detect What Kind of Taste?
Research shows that the pancreas can detect fructose, a type of sugar that's found naturally in fruit and honey, and is also added to processed foods, like cereals and soda in the form of high fructose corn syrup. The receptors that allow the pancreas to perceive sweetness and play a role in diseases like Type 2 Diabetes.
Source
www.webmd.com/diabetes/rm-quiz-pancreas.
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