About The Pancreas

The pancreas is a small organ, approximately six inches long, located in the upper abdomen, and connected to the small intestine. It is posterior in the body, against the spine, and it is this deep location that at times makes diagnosis of the disease difficult. The pancreas is essential to the digestive process in two ways: first, it produces enzymes that help digest protein, fat and carbohydrates before they can be absorbed through the intestine; second, it makes islands of endocrine cells that produce insulin which regulate the use and storage of the body’s main energy source, glucose or sugar.