cells called Islets of Langerhans. These are the endocrine systems of the
pancreas.
This endocrine portion of the pancreas will be discussed along with the
entire endocrine gland system covered later in this chapter. Since we are
considering digestion now, we want to examine the exocrine portion of the
pancreas, the ducted portion. These glands supply the bulk of the digestive
enzymes needed to break down your food. They also supply sodium
bicarbonate, which is an alkalizing substance called chyme, which is
necessary to alkalize the stomach contents. This chyme is full of HCL
(hydrochloric acid) and pepsin. Sodium bicarbonate and bile from the
gallbladder join in the duodenum to activate the alkaline digestive enzymes of
the pancreas and intestinal wall. If the stomach contents cannot be alkalized,
then proper digestion is halted. Your food then ferments and putrefies,
causing excessive gas. You then have lost the nutritional value of your foods.
Pancreatic Juice and its FunctionSODIUM BICARBONATE
Alkalizer and enzyme activator (neutralizes stomach acid).
TRYPSINOGEN
An enzyme that is converted into trypsin in the duodenum.
CHYMOTRYPSINOGEN
An enzyme that is converted into chymo-trypsin in the duodenum. (Trypsin
and chymotrypsin finish protein digestion, converting peptones to peptides.
From here, peptides are broken down [from the intestinal wall] by protease
into amino acids—the basic building blocks of protein structures.)
AMYLASE
An enzyme which breaks down (hydro-lyzes) starch (maltose) or complex
sugars (di- and poly-saccharides) into monosac-charides, or simple sugars.
LIPASE
An enzyme that emulsifies (breaks down) fats into fatty acids and glycerol.
This mixture of enzymes and sodium bicarbonate is called the pancreatic
juice. Pancreatic juice has a pH of 8.4 to 8.9, which is alkaline. Pancreatic
juice is stimulated by two hormones, se-cretin and cholecystokinin, which are
produced by the duodenal mucosa. This pancreatic juice flows through the