Healthy Functions and Characteristics of a Liver
The Liver is the largest organ inside the body and has over 200 functions. The liver weighs three to four pounds. Think of your liver as the body’s recycling center, constantly filtering and cleaning the blood.
Your Liver is an organ about the size of a football that sits just under your right rib cage on the right side of your abdomen (www.mayoclinic.com).[1]
The liver has many vital roles by regulating, synthesizing, storing, secreting, transforming and breaking down many different substances in the body. (Bauman and Friedlander, 2012)[2]
The liver has a crucial role of helping the body to breakdown nutrients and also to build new tissues. (Bauman and Waldman, 2012)[3]
The Liver serves as a storage place for many essential nutrients, such as vitamin A and Vitamin D and minerals iron and cooper.
The Liver works at detoxifying and getting rid of foreign substances. Using specialized enzymes designed to neutralize harmful substances.
The detoxification process has two steps. In the first phase chemical reactions within the liver neutralize and then eliminate the toxins by one of three routes: Sending it to the bile to eventually pass out the body in feces. Sending it into the urine and sweet to be eliminated that way. Converting it into an intermediate compound that may actually be more toxic than the original toxin.
When a toxin is converted, this is when phase two detoxification gets to work. During this process, additional chemical reactions on the liver neutralize the compound and make it water-soluble (Carr, 2011).[4]
The liver on a daily basis produces around a quart of bile. The bile transports toxins into the intestines.
The Liver is a very busy organ. Take care of your liver and your liver will take care of you.
Some of the health issues that occur when a liver is not working well are:
Acute liver failure, Alcoholic hepatitis, Cirrhosis -scarring of the liver, Liver cancer, Hepatitis, Liver cyst. Excess alcohol consumption can damage or destroy liver cells. This can lead to fatty liver disease.Really try to limit the amount of alcohol consumption.
Go to “Make Your Liver You New Best friend” in this website under health tips for more information on your amazing liver.
[2] Bauman, E., Friedlander, N.C.2012. Foundations of Nutrition. Pengrove, CA: Bauman College
[3] Bauman, E., Walderman, H. 2012. The Whole-Food Guide for Breast Cancer Survivors. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
[4] Carr, K., 2011. Crazy Sexy Diet. Gilford, CT: Globe Peqout Press
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