ABSTRACT
The pancreas plays a central role in nutrition and metabolism by virtue of the production of exocrine digestive enzymes and the secretion of islet polypeptide hormones. The digestive enzymes produced by the exocrine pancreas include trypsin, chymotrypsin, carboxypeptidase, elastase, lipase, RNase, DNase, and amylase. A deficiency of these enzymes in the small intestine results in digestive failure and malabsorption; however, the focus of this chapter is on the impact of nutritional deficiencies on the pancreas rather than on the effects of malabsorption on the host.
