High School

Maryanne has pancreatitis, and her pancreas is swollen and temporarily unable to produce pancreatic juice. What type of foodstuffs will probably not be digested until she recovers?

Answer :

Maryanne will likely have difficulty digesting fats and proteins due to a lack of pancreatic enzymes caused by her pancreatitis.

Maryanne is experiencing pancreatitis, which is the inflammation of the pancreas, leading to the temporary inability to produce pancreatic juice.

The pancreatic juice is vital because it contains enzymes like trypsin, amylopsin (pancreatic amylase), and steapsin (lipase) that are essential for the digestion of various foodstuffs such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

Without this juice, Maryanne will likely struggle to digest fats and proteins, since these macronutrients require specific enzymes:lipase for fats and trypsin for proteins, which are absent if the pancreas is not functioning properly.