What is amylase?

Amylase is an enzyme found in radishes and other foods, but it is also secreted by the salivary glands and pancreas in our body.

In the first place, the pancreas has two major jobs. One is called the endocrine function, which is to secrete insulin to lower the blood sugar level that has risen in the blood, and the other is the exocrine function, which is related to the digestion of food.

As for the process of digestion of food, which is this exocrine function, first, the food we eat passes through the esophagus and enters the stomach. Food that has been reduced in size in the stomach goes to the duodenum. In the duodenum, the food is mixed with pancreatic juice from the pancreas and is broken down and absorbed.

Amylase, as a type of enzyme that breaks down food, is found mainly in the pancreatic juice produced by the pancreas in order to break down the food we eat and absorb it as a source of nutrition. It is also secreted by the salivary glands and is a component of saliva. Taka-diastase, which was mentioned in Soseki Natsume’s novel, is basically the same thing as this amylase. The reason why radishes are said to be good for digestion is because they contain this amylase.

In addition to amylase, the pancreatic juice also contains a digestive enzyme called lipase. This is the one you may have heard of before.

Digestive enzymes are enzymes that help the body digest and absorb the food that we eat, and both amylase and lipase are one of several digestive enzymes.

Pancreatitis and Amylase

If your amylase level is higher than the standard value, you may have pancreatitis. This is because when the pancreas is inflamed, or in other words, pancreatitis, the amylase in the blood also rises. Therefore, a high amylase level is said to indicate the possibility of pancreatitis. If there is a possibility of pancreatitis, it will affect the amylase not only in the blood but also in the urine.

The reason why inflammation of the pancreas causes heartburn and indigestion is because this exocrine function of the pancreas, the breakdown and absorption of food, is not functioning properly.

Pancreatitis and Oxidative Stress

There are two types of pancreatitis: acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis.

Since the pancreas is an organ located on the back side of the stomach, pancreatitis can cause pain in the upper part of the stomach and back.

In particular, it is said that about 40% of acute pancreatitis is caused by “excessive alcohol consumption”. The cells of the pancreas are very vulnerable to oxidative stress.

When you drink alcohol, it passes through the liver in the process of decomposing the alcohol in your body. In the liver, alcohol becomes the oxidative stress substance acetaldehyde, which is further broken down into harmless acetic acid and discharged from the body through urine.

However, if you drink a large amount of alcohol, a large amount of acetaldehyde remains in your body because it is not broken down properly in the liver. Acetaldehyde, an oxidative stress substance, damages the cells of the pancreas, causing inflammation and pancreatitis.

Finally

The pancreas is also known as the “silent organ”. Like the liver, it is difficult to notice subjective symptoms, and when symptoms do appear, the condition may be beyond help.

It is an organ that, like the liver, is also closely related to alcohol. Therefore, if your amylase level is higher than the standard value in a medical checkup and you are concerned about it, it is recommended that you consult a specialized institution as soon as possible.

Also, since pancreatitis is a disease that is closely related to oxidative stress, please try to live a lifestyle that suppresses oxidative stress on a daily basis for prevention of the disease and healthy longevity.