Page 166 - The Cell in 40 Topics

The Cell in 40 Topics

The pancreas is not limited to understanding that the digestion
process has begun, it also understands what varieties of food you have
eaten—and produces digestive enzymes in line with those different foods.

For instance, when you eat pasta and bread, which are rich in carbohy-
drates, the enzyme secreted by the pancreas is of a kind able to break down
carbohydrates. When these foods reach the duodenum, the pancreas pro-
duces an enzyme known as amylase (Figure 133).

Figure 133.
The pancreas identifies the foods entering the stomach and secretes differ-
ent enzymes to digest them.

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