Which statement best describes the pancreas's role in regulating blood sugar?

• A. It stores bile to digest fats
• B. It regulates blood sugar via insulin and glucagon
• C. It filters toxins from the blood
• D. It digests proteins in the stomach

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that the pancreas helps regulate blood sugar through two hormones with opposite effects: insulin and glucagon. Insulin is released when blood glucose is high (such as after a meal) and promotes glucose uptake into body cells, especially in muscle and fat tissue, while signaling the liver to store excess glucose as glycogen. This lowers the amount of glucose circulating in the blood. Glucagon is released when blood glucose is low (such as during fasting) and signals the liver to break down glycogen and to manufacture new glucose, raising blood sugar.

Other statements don’t fit this regulatory role: storing bile is a liver/gallbladder function, not pancreatic regulation of blood sugar; filtering toxins from the blood is a liver/kidneys function; and while the pancreas does produce digestive enzymes, they operate in the small intestine rather than digesting proteins in the stomach.