What does the pancreas do? - Emma Bryce
-
0:07 - 0:11Beneath your ribs, you'll find,
among other things, the pancreas, -
0:11 - 0:16an organ that works a lot
like a personal health coach. -
0:16 - 0:20This organ controls your sugar levels
and produces a special juice -
0:20 - 0:23that releases the nutrients from your food
-
0:23 - 0:26to help keep you
in the best possible shape. -
0:26 - 0:29The pancreas sits just
behind your stomach, -
0:29 - 0:34an appropriate home, as one of its jobs
is to break down the food you eat. -
0:34 - 0:38It aids digestion by producing
a special tonic made of water, -
0:38 - 0:40sodium bicarbonate,
-
0:40 - 0:43and digestive enzymes.
-
0:43 - 0:47Sodium bicarbonate neutralizes
the stomach's natural acidity, -
0:47 - 0:51so these digestive enzymes
can perform their jobs. -
0:51 - 0:54Lipase breaks down fatty substances,
-
0:54 - 0:56protease splits up proteins,
-
0:56 - 1:01and amylase divides carbohydrates
to create energy-rich sugars. -
1:01 - 1:04Most of those nutrients then get absorbed
into the blood stream, -
1:04 - 1:07and go on to enrich the body.
-
1:07 - 1:11While all this is happening, the pancreas
works on another critical task, -
1:11 - 1:14controlling the amount
of sugar in your blood. -
1:14 - 1:18It achieves this with the hormones
insulin and glucagon, -
1:18 - 1:22which are produced in special cells
called the Islets of Langerhans. -
1:22 - 1:26Having too much or too little sugar
can be life threatening, -
1:26 - 1:29so the pancreas must
stay on constant alert. -
1:29 - 1:33After a big meal, the blood often
becomes flushed with sugar. -
1:33 - 1:37To bring us back to normal,
the pancreas releases insulin, -
1:37 - 1:40which makes the excess sugar
move into cells, -
1:40 - 1:44where it's either used
as an energy source, or stored for later. -
1:44 - 1:48Insulin also tells the liver
to shut down sugar production. -
1:48 - 1:51On the other hand, if blood sugar is low,
-
1:51 - 1:54the pancreas releases
a hormone called glucagon -
1:54 - 1:57that tells the body's cells and liver
to release stored sugars -
1:57 - 1:59back into the bloodstream.
-
1:59 - 2:05The interplay between insulin and glucagon
is what keeps our sugar levels balanced. -
2:05 - 2:09But a faulty pancreas can no longer
coach us like this, -
2:09 - 2:12meaning that this healthy
balance is destroyed. -
2:12 - 2:13If it's weakened by disease,
-
2:13 - 2:17the organ's ability to produce insulin
may be reduced, or even extinguished, -
2:17 - 2:21which can trigger the condition
known as diabetes. -
2:21 - 2:26Without regular insulin release,
sugar steadily builds up in the blood, -
2:26 - 2:29eventually hardening the blood vessels
and causing heart attacks, -
2:29 - 2:31kidney failure,
-
2:31 - 2:32and strokes.
-
2:32 - 2:36The same lack of insulin deprives cells
of the energy-rich sugar -
2:36 - 2:38they need to grow and function.
-
2:38 - 2:41People with diabetes also tend to have
higher levels of glucagon, -
2:41 - 2:44which makes even more sugar circulate.
-
2:44 - 2:48Without this internal health coach,
our sugar levels would go haywire, -
2:48 - 2:52and we wouldn't be able
to digest important nutrients. -
2:52 - 2:53But like any coach,
-
2:53 - 2:56it's not the pancreas' job
alone to keep us healthy. -
2:56 - 3:00It needs our conscious participation, too.
- Title:
- What does the pancreas do? - Emma Bryce
- Description:
-
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-does-the-pancreas-do-emma-bryce
Beneath your ribs, you’ll find, among other things, the pancreas -- an organ that works a lot like a personal health coach. Emma Bryce explains how this organ controls your sugar levels and produces a special juice that releases the nutrients from your food to help keep you in the best possible shape.
Lesson by Emma Bryce, animation by Tremendousness.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 03:21
Jessica Ruby approved English subtitles for What does the pancreas do? - Emma Bryce | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for What does the pancreas do? - Emma Bryce | ||
Jessica Ruby accepted English subtitles for What does the pancreas do? - Emma Bryce | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for What does the pancreas do? - Emma Bryce | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for What does the pancreas do? - Emma Bryce | ||
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for What does the pancreas do? - Emma Bryce | ||
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for What does the pancreas do? - Emma Bryce |