The role of somatostatin during the gastric phase of a meal

The role of somatostatin during the gastric phase of a meal is to serve, either locally and/or via the circulation, as a modulator of gastrointestinal and pancreatic endocrine and exocrine functions. For this reason somatostatin secretion itself is under neuroendocrine control to provide an optimal integration into the various regulatory cascades of the gastrointestinal and pancreatic neuroendocrine control mechanisms. And considering the role of somatostatin upon the rate at which ingested nutrients enter the circulation, the release of somatostatin during the gastric phase of a meal is one important factor for smooth and optimal assimilation of ingested nutrients, thereby preventing excessive perturbations in fuel homeostasis.