Did you know that your pancreas isn’t actually dead?
If you live with diabetes, you may have heard a joke or two about being the proud owner of a useless pancreas, or that you’re part of the dead pancreas gang...
You’ve probably even made this joke yourself, I know I’m guilty of saying it.
But even though type 1 diabetics essentially cannot produce enough insulin to live, it doesn’t mean that your pancreas is dead.
Your pancreas has other responsibilities too.
The pancreas is an incredibly complex organ that has both an endocrine and a digestive exocrine function.
As an endocrine gland, it functions mostly to regulate blood sugar levels, secreting the hormones insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, and pancreatic polypeptide.
As part of your exocrine system, the pancreas secretes enzymes that work in tandem with bile from the liver and gallbladder to help break down substances for proper digestion and absorption.
Enzymes produced by the pancreas for digestion include;
* Trypsin and chymotrypsin: needed for proteins to breakdown
* Amylase: needed for carbohydrates to breakdown
* Lipase: needed for fats to breakdown
Producing insulin is only a tiny sliver of what our otherwise hard-working pancreas does for most of us every single day.
So give your pancreas some love!