What is the pancreas and what is its function?
The pancreas is a gland that lies towards the back of the upper part of the abdomen. It is shaped like a club, and is described as having a head, neck, body and tail.
The pancreas and the organs
around it
The digestive juice made by the pancreas flows through a small tube (or duct) within the gland, and empties into the part of the bowel called duodenum, at the same point where the bile duct empties into the bowel
This is where the pancreas
is situated
The pancreas does two things:
· It makes a digestive juice, rich in enzymes, which is useful in digesting fatty foods
· It makes insulin, which controls the blood sugar