what's the main organ of digestion it's the pancreas mhm most people think that all of their digestion happens in the stomach but it is not true hello I'm Barbara O'Neal today we're talking about a small but incredibly important organ the pancreas as we age taking care of our pancreas becomes vital for maintaining good health especially because it plays such a key role in digestion and blood sugar regulation did you know that about 1 in4 adults over 60 have some form of pancreatic issue ranging from insulin resistance to more serious problems like pancreatitis your pancreas helps
control blood sugar levels and produce enzymes needed for proper digestion so keeping it healthy is essential in this video I'll share the importance of the pancreas and highlight which foods and habits to avoid if if you want to keep your pancreas functioning well stay tuned and let's take the first step toward better pancreatic Health together well let's start with the pancreas itself how it and what functions it performs in our body so that is what's broken down in the stomach protein and protein alone all your uh starch digestion is put on hold because we're now
in an acid stomach and then we move through and come to the first part of the small intestine which is called the duodenum and the duodenum has two main organs that are emptying into it notice we've got the liver here the gore bladder the gallbladder is a a reservoir for bile and that bile duct comes down connects with the neck of the pancreas and empties into the duodenum it's an alkaline environment in the duodenum and the enzyme that is released from your Gore bladder so I'll just do GB for Gore bladder from the duodenum is
bile and bile is an enzyme that breaks down longchain fatty acid so this is your unsaturated fats so a lot of those fats are are vegetable fats you know found in your nuts and your seeds from the ju duodenum the pancreas also releases some enzymes in there and the pancreas releases pancreatic lipas and pancreatic lipase does the final breakdown of the unsaturated fats they're the longchain fatty acids so bile starts it pancreatic lipas finalizes it the pan pancreas also releases pancreatic amas and remember Tylin is a salivary amales so the amales salivary salivary amoras tyus
starts the digestion put on hold in the stomach comes to the duodenum and pancreatic amase finalizes the starch digestion what's also leased in the pancreas is Tron and Tron is the enzyme that finalizes protein digestion so protein digestion is begun in the stomach and finalized in the duodenum under Trion and chimo Trion so these are two enzymes that break down protein I've got some good news it's going to get easier now they're all the big words from this students what's the main organ of digestion it's the pancreas the pancreas is pretty amazing when you think
about it it does a lot more than people usually realize especially when it comes to digestion beyond the enzymes I already talked about like Lipa amalay Tron and kimon it's got a big job in keeping keeping your blood sugar levels in check too the pancreas really has two main roles helping with digestion which we call the exocrine function and managing blood sugar which is the endocrine function on the digestion side it produces these enzymes that get released into your small intestine specifically the duodenum these enzymes break down fats carbohydrates and proteins into smaller pieces so
your body can absorb and use them basically without the pancreas doing its thing our bodies wouldn't be able to properly take in the nutrients we need another cool thing about the pancreas is that it makes bicarbonate this stuff helps to neutralize the acid coming out of your stomach you've got this really acidic partially digested food called Kim moving from your stomach into the small intestine and the pancreas releases by carbonate to make it less acidic this is super important because it not only protects the lining of your intestine from that acid but also creates the
perfect environment for those enzymes to do their job now on the blood sugar side of things the pancreas produces hormones like insulin and glucagon insulin helps lower your blood sugar by getting glucose into your cells where it can be used for energy on the other hand glucagon does the opposite it raises blood sugar when it gets too low by signaling your liver to release stored glucose this Balancing Act is key to keeping your energy levels stable throughout the day let's dive into the mechanism and here we've got our pancreas and our pancreas it releases two
hormones one is insulin and insulin's the hormone designed to get the blood glucose down again when it goes high and if it goes down if the blood glucose goes too low then glucagon is released and glucagon GL glucagon is the hormone that's released if blood glucose goes too low to get it up again now what's happening with the pancreas is when the pure crystallized acid extracted from the sugar cane plant goes in blood glucose levels rise dramatically not sugar cane because in the sugar cane the glucose is all bound up in fiber and it slowly
releases is the glucose but that pure crystallized acid that's been extracted from the sugar cane plant when it goes into the body blood glucose levels go boom very quickly the brain says overload quick pancreas release the insulin you see high glucose demands High insulin and so now the insulin's released and blood glucose ose levels start to drop because now the insulin causes the glucose to go into the cell or to be stored as glycogen or fat but because there was so much glucose huge amounts of insulin a release so where are blood glucose levels going
now too low that's called hypoglycemia too low so now the brain goes oh no we're too low stop the insulin release the glucagon but by the way what happens down there what does the person do I need a hit of sugar I'm too low will the sugar get it up oh absolutely boom oh no we're too high stop the glucagon release the insulin oh no can you see what's happening something else is happening the cell starts to say I'm sick of the side of you insulin and insulin resistance STS up I'm sick of the side
of you so the cell starts to resist insulin and the blood glucose levels stay high because it's resisting getting in and so the brain says too much glucose more insulin more insulin can you see what's happening here the body this is what I'm going to do with this get it out through the urine do you know what diabetes malius means sweet urine because there's nowhere else for it to go and then eventually the pancreas just says I'm sick of this I'm done and it just stops releasing the insulin to stop this cycle and keep your
pancreas healthy you need to make some changes in your diet and lifestyle that help stabilize blood sugar levels the first step is to cut back on refined sugars and processed foods these are high in simple sugars that cause blood sugar spikes which force your pancreas to release too much insulin instead choose Whole Foods like fruits vegetables whole grains and legumes these are packed with fiber which helps slow the release of sugar into your bloodstream and prevents those sudden spikes make sure your meals are balanced with Protein healthy fats and fiber these nutrients help keep blood
sugar levels St by slowing down how fast sugar is absorbed for example eating fruit with a handful of nuts will help balance your blood sugar better than eating fruit alone try to avoid eating sugary snacks on an empty stomach as they can quickly raise your blood sugar without anything else to balance it staying active is also really important for keeping your pancreas in good shape exercise makes your cells more sensitive to insulin so your pancreas doesn't have to work as hard you don't need to do any anything intense just going for a walk after meals
can help a lot in keeping blood sugar levels steady cutting out sugary drinks like sodas and fruit juices is also crucial these drinks are full of sugar that hits your bloodstream quickly causing big spikes water herbal teas or other unsweetened drinks are much better choices stress is another factor to watch out for because stress hormones can increase your blood sugar finding ways to manage stress can help reduce this impact and ease the load on your pancreas if someone has pancreatic problems pancreatitis pancrea pancreas um that is cancerous they need the proteolytic enzymes many people with
pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer die of malnutrition can you see why because the pancreas is the main organ of digestion so if anyone has pancreatic problems the proteolytic enzymes Pane and brolene are vital for them some products have something called porcine in it and that's an enzyme extracted from the stomach of the pig I'm not interested in that if you're dealing with pancreatic issues it's super important to take good care of your digestion since the pancreas plays a major role in breaking down proteins fats and carbs when the pancreas struggles getting extra help from digestive enzymes
enes like payan from papaya and Broman from Pineapple can make a big difference these enzymes take some of the workload off your pancreas making digestion easier and helping prevent malnutrition which is a big risk when your pancreas isn't doing its job properly when it comes to keeping your pancreas healthy your diet really matters you want foods that are easy on the digestive system and gentle on your pancreas vegetables like leafy greens bell peppers and broccoli are excellent choice es because they're full of nutrients and antioxidants which help reduce inflammation berries such as blueberries and strawberries
are great too they're packed with antioxidants that can help protect your pancreas from damage healthy fats are also a good idea fats from sources like avocados olive oil and nuts provide energy without putting too much stress on the pancreas unlike the heavier saturated fats that are tough to digest for protein try to stick to lean options like fish chicken or plant-based sauces like legumes and tofu these are much easier on your system staying well hydrated is also key drinking plenty of water helps everything work smoothly and keeps the enzymes your pancreas makes active herbal teas
especially ones with anti-inflammatory effects like ginger or turmeric tea can also give a bit of extra support on the flip side there are definitely some foods you should avoid if you want to keep your pancreas in good shape high fat and fried foods are tough for your pancreas to handle so they're best left off the menu processed foods especially those high in trans fats like packaged snacks and fast food are also something to avoid they put unnecessary strain on your pancreas red meat and full fat Dairy can be hard on the pancreas too because of
their fat content so lenina proteins are a much better choice and refined sugars found in sweets and sugary drinks can mess with insulin level and make things harder for your pancreas so it's best to cut down on those alcohol is another big one to avoid it's a major cause of pancreatitis as it can inflame and damage the pancreas over time and it's not just about what you eat smoking is really bad for the pancreas increasing your risk of pancreatitis and even pancreatic cancer and there are some herbs that are very bitter and they stimulate the
release of digestive enzymes liing enzymes and pancreatic and that is gensin and dandelion and St Mary's thistle or sometimes it's called milk thistle so the beauty of these three herbs is they will increase digestion in the stomach they will increase the liver's ability to release its spile and also pancreas so those three herbs do those three so they stimulate it to do it where the broline and the papine they basically can even take the place of those other protic enzymes herbs like genan dandelion and St Mary's thistle are great for supporting your pancreas because they
boost digestion and help the whole digestive system work better these herbs stimulate the release of important digestive enzymes which helps the pancreas do its job of breaking down carbs proteins and fats more effectively a well-functioning pancreas is crucial for processing nutrients properly keeping blood sugar level stable and supporting your body's metabolism genion is a powerful bitter herb that helps improve appetite and stimulate the production of gastric juices in the stomach when these juices are released digestion becomes smoother and the pancreas doesn't have to work as hard reducing the strain on this vital organ this leads
to better overall nutrient absorption and helps maintain a healthy digestive system dandelion is another herb that benefits the pancreas significantly it helps regulate blood sugar levels which is helpful for people who have insulin resistance or diabetes dandelion is packed with antioxidants which protect pancreatic cells from oxidative stress and damage plus it has diuretic properties which support kidney function contributing to a healthier balance in the body indirectly benefiting the pancreas St Mary's thistle also called milk thisle is well known for its liver protecting properties but it also benefits the pancreas the active compound in milk thisle
camarin is a powerful antioxidant that reduces inflammation and supports cell repair it can improve insulin sensitivity which is beneficial for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels and taking some of the burden off the pancreas Beyond these three herbs there are a few others that can be really helpful for pancreatic Health turmeric for example is great at reducing inflammation which is essential for anyone dealing with pancreatitis or chronic inflammation of the pancreas Ginger is another good option as it helps with digestion and May also help stabilize blood sugar levels fenig Greek seeds have been shown to help
manage blood sugar levels and boost insulin sensitivity making them a great addition for anyone looking to support their pancreas naturally beroch root is another beneficial herb it's known for detoxifying the body which helps cleanse both the liver and the pancreas supporting overall Digestive Health thank you so much for joining me today I hope you found this information helpful and that it gives you a better understanding of how to take care of your pancreas remember small changes can make a big difference when it comes to your health if you enjoyed this video please give it a
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