Pancreas

The pancreas is an organ located behind the lower part of the stomach. It makes insulin and enzymes that help the body digest and use food. Throughout the pancreas are clusters of cells called the islets of Langerhans. Islets are made up of several types of cells, including beta cells that make insulin.

The pancreas is a gland about 6 inches long that is shaped like a thin pear lying on its side. The wider end of the pancreas is called the head, the middle section is called the body, and the narrow end is called the tail. The pancreas lies behind the stomach and in front of the spine.

The pancreas has two main jobs in the body:

• To produce juices that help digest (break down) food.
• To produce hormones, such as insulin and glucagon, that help control blood sugar levels. Both of these hormones help the body use and store the energy it gets from food.

The digestive juices are produced by exocrine pancreas cells and the hormones are produced by endocrine pancreas cells.

The pancreas is located in the abdomen behind the stomach. Islets within the pancreas contain beta cells, which produce insulin.

Insulin is a hormone that helps the body use glucose for energy. Diabetes develops when the body does not make enough insulin, cannot use insulin properly, or both, causing glucose levels in the blood to increase. In type 1 diabetes—an autoimmune disease—the beta cells of the pancreas no longer make insulin because the body's immune system has attacked and destroyed them. A person who has type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily to live. Type 2 diabetes usually begins with a condition called insulin resistance, in which the body has difficulty using insulin effectively. Over time, insulin production declines as well, so many people with type 2 diabetes eventually need to take insulin.