Points to ponder on the pancreas

What is its role in obesity? PREMIUM CONTENT subscriber access

I recently spoke with a young college student patient who consulted me about her symptoms of weight gain and fatigue. She was overall fairly healthy but upon reviewing her records, I noted that she was loaded up on some powerful meds. One was an antipsychotic, though she had no history of any psychosis. So I asked her, “why are you taking this drug?” Her answer, “my psych doc gave it to me to modulate my emotions.” “Well,” I said, “it makes you gain weight and gives you diabetes. I don’t think that will generate positive emotions.” Shaking my head, I recommended she start with her weaning off the unnecessary, off-label medications.

The encounter nudged me to write this newsletter on the pancreas organ and its role in obesity / diabetes. Its functions include exocrine secretions for digestion, but today I will just discuss some of its endocrine aspects.