What Does the Pancreas Do in Digestion?
When people think of digestion, they often think of the stomach or intestines. But there’s another organ that plays a huge role in breaking down food: the pancreas. Even though it’s small and hidden behind the stomach, the pancreas is a digestive powerhouse.
Let’s take a closer look at what the pancreas does in digestion—and why your body couldn’t work without it.
🔍Dive Deeper
- Where Is the Pancreas?
- What Does the Pancreas Do In Digestion?
- What Are Digestive Enzymes?
- How Do Pancreatic Enzymes Help?
- What Is Bicarbonate and Why Is It Important?
- How the Pancreas Communicates With Other Organs
- 🎯 Final Thoughts
- đź“š References
Where Is the Pancreas?
The pancreas is a flat, spongy organ that sits behind the stomach and in front of the spine. It’s about 6 to 10 inches long, and shaped kind of like a stretched-out pear or a fish.
📍 The pancreas is tucked so deep inside the body that doctors often call it a “hidden organ.”
What Does the Pancreas Do In Digestion?
The pancreas has two main jobs:
- Helps with digestion (called the exocrine function)
- Controls blood sugar by making insulin (called the endocrine function)
This article focuses on the first job: helping your body digest food.
What Are Digestive Enzymes?
When you eat food, your body has to break it down into tiny pieces so it can absorb all the good stuff—like proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. That’s where digestive enzymes come in.
The pancreas produces three main enzymes:
| Enzyme | What It Breaks Down | Nutrient Type |
|---|---|---|
| Amylase | Carbohydrates (like bread and pasta) | Carbs |
| Lipase | Fats (like oils and butter) | Fats |
| Protease (like trypsin and chymotrypsin) | Proteins (like meat and beans) | Proteins |
🧪 These enzymes are like tiny scissors that cut big molecules into smaller pieces your body can absorb.
How Do Pancreatic Enzymes Help?
Here’s how it works:
- After food leaves the stomach, it enters the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine).
- The pancreas sends its enzymes through a duct (a small tube) into the duodenum.
- The enzymes mix with the food and start breaking it down.
Without the pancreas:
- You couldn’t absorb nutrients properly.
- You might suffer from malnutrition, no matter how much you eat.
- You’d also have greasy, smelly poop from undigested fats—a condition called steatorrhea [1].
What Is Bicarbonate and Why Is It Important?
Besides enzymes, the pancreas also makes bicarbonate, a substance that helps neutralize stomach acid.
Food leaves the stomach in a very acidic state (like vinegar or lemon juice). If this acid wasn’t neutralized, it could damage your intestines. Bicarbonate acts like a shield, protecting your insides and creating the perfect environment for enzymes to work.
💡 Bicarbonate is like baking soda—it calms down acids so your gut can do its job safely.
How the Pancreas Communicates With Other Organs
The pancreas doesn’t work alone. It’s part of a team that includes:
- Stomach: Starts digestion and sends signals to the pancreas when food is on the way.
- Liver and gallbladder: Send bile to break down fats.
- Small intestine: Receives enzymes and absorbs nutrients.
Special hormones like secretin and cholecystokinin (CCK) tell the pancreas exactly when to release enzymes and bicarbonate.
🎯 Final Thoughts
The pancreas may not be as well-known as the stomach or liver, but it’s a vital organ for digestion. It creates special enzymes that break down your food and sends bicarbonate to keep your intestines safe. Without the pancreas, your body couldn’t absorb the nutrients it needs to grow, think, or play.
So the next time you eat pizza, salad, or ice cream, remember that your pancreas is behind the scenes, making sure your body gets everything it needs from every bite.
đź“š References
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). “Pancreas Function.” https://www.niddk.nih.gov/
- Johns Hopkins Medicine. “The Role of the Pancreas in Digestion.” https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/
- Cleveland Clinic. “Pancreas: Anatomy, Function, and Conditions.” https://my.clevelandclinic.org/
- American Gastroenterological Association. “Digestive Enzymes and You.” https://www.gastro.org/
đź“Ś Learn More About the Digestive System
- What Are the Main Organs of the Digestive System?
- What Does the Small Intestine Acutally Do?
- What Is the Large Intestine and Why Is It So Long?
- What Role Does the Liver Play in Digestion?
- What Does the Pancreas Do in Digestion?