How would the gastrointestinal tract be affected if the pancreas were severely damaged?

1 Answer
Apr 22, 2018

It would be severely affected by an inability to digest food.

Explanation:

[The Pancreas] plays an essential role in converting the food we eat into fuel for the body's cells. The pancreas has two main functions: an exocrine function that helps in digestion and an endocrine function that regulates blood sugar.

Almost all of the pancreas (95%) consists of exocrine tissue that produces pancreatic enzymes for digestion. The remaining tissue consists of endocrine cells called islets of Langerhans. These clusters of cells look like grapes and produce hormones that regulate blood sugar and regulate pancreatic secretions.

A healthy pancreas produces the correct chemicals in the proper quantities, at the right times, to digest the foods we eat.

http://columbiasurgery.org/pancreas/pancreas-and-its-functions

Pictures and dysfunctions:
https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/picture-of-the-pancreas