04/09/2019 / By Ralph Flores
A person’s abdomen holds a lot of organs. While some of these are relatively well-known, there are others that don’t get recognized but are still essential to overall health.
Take the pancreas, for instance. The small, flat organ found at the back of the stomach may not be as popular as other parts of the digestive system, but its function is vital in a person’s overall health. Mainly, the pancreas is a critical controller of blood sugar levels, which the body uses for energy.
Simply put, if the pancreas were to stop functioning properly, it could spell real trouble for the person.
At first glance, the pancreas looks like a single organ, but it’s actually two glands intimately mixed together. Exocrine cells that help in digestion comprise most of the pancreas. These cells produce enzymes that are drained into the small intestine, which then help in breaking down food in to nutrients. The other cells present in the pancreas, known as the islets of Langerhans, release hormones like glucagon and insulin into the bloodstream, where they regulate blood sugar levels. People with Type 1 diabetes, in particular, have a dysfunction in the pancreas that results in the body producing little to no insulin.
The pancreas is indeed a vital part of digestion and blood sugar management, but it’s also prone to damage. Certain factors increase the risk of pancreatic damage, such as genetic disposition, age, gender, and ethnicity; however, a person’s lifestyle and diet play a greater role in the development of chronic diseases that affect the pancreas, like cancer.
“Prevention is better than cure” is always sage advice, especially when it comes to the pancreas. Fortunately, here are some foods that can help in keeping the pancreas in tip-top shape.
FoodisMedicine.com is your best resource on foods that maintain pancreatic health.
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