Pancreas

Name and Functions



The part I researched, which has only one name, is the pancreas. The pancreas is an organ that produces digestive juices necessary to break down food. It also produces insulin and glucagons. Insulin and glucagons are two hormones needed to break down sugar and to regulate our metabolism. The pancreas provides a lot of power to the body. For example, it allows you to eat many foods and allows your body to feed your cells the energy they need. It also allows you to exercise without decreasing your blood sugar. As you can see the pancreas has a lot of jobs, without the pancreas it would be difficult to live





Organization in the Body



If you didn’t have a pancreas you would have to give yourself hypodermic shots everyday for the rest of your life. The pancreas is part of the digestive system.   Organs located near the pancreas are the stomach, the small intestine, the liver, and the gallbladder. The stomach’s function is to digest and store food and the small intestine and it is used for digestion and the absorption of nutrients. To absorb nutrients, take out poisons, and produce bile you need the liver, and to store that bile you need the gallbladder. The pancreas is located deep in the abdomen between the spine and stomach. It is partially behind your stomach but the other part nestles in the curve of the duodenum.



The digestive juices in the pancreas flow through a duct to the duodenum into the small intestine. The digestive juices contain water and salts which help the digestive process and to neutralize stomach acids. Enzymes are also contained within the digestive juices; they help to break down fat, starches and proteins. Scattered throughout the pancreas lie small groups special of cells, which are called the islets of Langerhans. These cells send the hormones directly into the bloodstream. There are several types of isles cells, for example alpha cells, and beta cells. Insulin...