Question

Name the hormone secreted by pancreas. What is the function of this hormone ?

Answer 1

The pancreas secretes two most important hormones i.e., insulin and glucagon. They work as the antagonistic hormone. Insulin lowers the blood sugar level while glucagon increases the blood sugar level.

• Insulin is normally secreted by the beta cells (a type of islet cell) of the pancreas.
  
• When insulin-producing cells are damaged or destroyed and stop producing insulin. It is primarily the cause of type 1 diabetes. Insulin is needed to move blood sugar into cells throughout the body. The resulting insulin deficiency leaves too much sugar in the blood and not enough in the cells for energy.
  
• Glucagon is secreted by the alpha cells of the pancreatic islets. If blood glucose is high, then no glucagon is secreted.
  
• When blood glucose goes LOW, however, (such as between meals, and during exercise) more and more glucagon is secreted. Like insulin, glucagon has an effect on many cells of the body, but most notably the liver.
  

The effect of glucagon is to make the liver release the glucose it has stored in its cells into the bloodstream, with the net effect of increasing blood glucose.

• Glucagon also induces the liver (and some other cells such as muscle) to make glucose out of building blocks obtained from other nutrients found in the body (eg, protein).