The "Pancreas" - what's it all about?

So I first want to thank everyone for the "love" that was shown yesterday for the loss of Smokey . . . it filled my heart . . . thank you all!

Okay . . . so today we'll talk about the "pancreas" and the important job it has for optimal health.

Now . . . the pancreas is a flat gland or some call it an "organ" . . . located in the abdomen . . . and it plays an essential role in "converting" the food we eat . . . into fuel for the body's cells.

You see . . . this is the organ that "produces" the "digestive enzymes" we've spoken of before. And these "enzymes" are released into the small intestine to help it digest our food after leaving the stomach.

And during "digestion" . . . the "pancreas" makes "pancreatic juices" called "digestive enzymes" that breakdown the sugars, fats and starches we consume from this Western diet.

Now . . . the "pancreas" and "liver" also produce "bile" along with the "pancreatic juices to breakdown and digest our food.

Simple as that . . . but if this organ is not in tip-top shape . . . we are now in trouble.

Okay . . . so with that being said . . . the "pancreas" have two main functions . . .

It's an "exocrine" function that helps in "digestion" . . . and an "endocrine" function that "regulates" blood sugar.

The "pancreas" also helps the "digestive system" by making "hormones".

And the two main hormones that are secreted by the "endocrine" function of the "pancreas are . . . "insulin" . . . which acts to lower blood sugar levels . . . and "glucagon" . . . which acts to raise blood sugar levels.

And as we know . . . maintaining proper blood sugar levels is crucial to the functioning of other key organs including the brain, liver and kidneys.

Okay . . . so what happens when there isn't enough or isn't any "glucagon" made???

Well . . . "glucagon" deficiency is one of the major causes of "hypoglycemia" . . . which is a condition that diminishes levels of "glucose" (sugar) in the blood.

And if the pancreas stops producing "insulin" . . . this deficiency can cause cells to "not" get enough energy from the food we consume.

So why would any of this happen in the first place???

Well . . . the most common causes would be . . . chronic alcohol consumption, hereditary conditions, trauma, medications, electrolyte abnormalities, high lipid levels, hormonal abnormalities . . . and "infections"

And tomorrow we'll continue to discover the possibilities.

As always feel free to DM or contact me at: miraclemeadows.net/contact/