Main function of liver

The liver is the largest solid organ in the body. It carries out over 500 tasks and plays an essential role in digestion. Its roles include detoxification, protein synthesis, and producing digestive enzymes. The roles of the liver include detoxification, protein synthesis, and the production of chemicals that help digest food. It is part of the digestive system. This article will cover the main roles of the liver, how the liver regenerates, what happens when the liver does not function correctly, and how to keep the liver healthy. Share on Pinterest SEBASTIAN KAULITZKI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images A person’s liver is in the upper right section of the abdomen and sits below the diaphragm. It typically weighs The liver is roughly triangular and consists of two lobes: a larger right lobe and a smaller left lobe. The falciform ligament separates the lobes. This ligament is a band of tissue that keeps the liver anchored to the diaphragm. A layer of fibrous tissue called Glisson’s capsule covers the outside of the liver. The peritoneum, a membrane that forms the lining of the abdominal cavity, then covers this. This helps hold the liver in place and protects it from physical damage. Blood vessels Unlike most organs, the liver has two major sources of blood. The portal vein brings in nutrient-rich blood from the digestive system, and the hepatic artery carries oxygenated blood from the heart. The blood vessels divide into small capillaries, with each ending in a lobule. Lob...

Most veins in the body, called systemic veins, carry blood toward the heart. The portal vein and its contributing veins are different because they carry blood to the liver first. Collectively, these veins are called the hepatic portal venous system. If you have chronic liver disease, this system is at risk for serious complications. Rarely, children may be born with an absent or underdeveloped portal vein. This condition, known as agenesis of the portal vein, may be associated with abnormalities of the liver or cardiovascular system. Symptoms may be caused by blood flowing directly from the intestines and spleen into the systemic veins ( portosystemic shunts). For someone born with congenital agenesis of the portal vein, their prognosis depends on the nature of the liver and cardiac disease. Location of the shunts also affects your overall health. The condition can sometimes be managed with medications or minimally invasive surgical procedures. In severe cases, a liver transplant may be necessary. The liver helps metabolize carbohydrates, proteins, and fats that you eat. It also detoxifies many harmful substances (drugs and toxins) which are absorbed by the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Nutrients and other substances that are absorbed in the intestines travel via the portal vein to the liver, where they can be processed before being released to the rest of the body. With portal hypertension, blood in the portal venous system attempts to bypass the liver as portal pressure i...

The Digestive Process: The Liver and its Many Functions The liver is the largest organ in your body. It weighs about 3 pounds and is about the size of a football. It performs many functions essential for good health and a long life. What the liver does Your liver works around the clock to keep you healthy. Among its most important jobs are: • Producing important substances. Your liver continually produces bile. This is a chemical that helps turn fats into energy that your body uses. Bile is necessary for the digestive process. Your liver also creates albumin. This is a blood protein that helps carry hormones, drugs, and fatty acids throughout your body. Your liver also creates most of the substances that help your blood clot after injury. • Processing bilirubin. The liver helps your body get rid of bilirubin. This happens from the breakdown of your red blood cells. Too much bilirubin in your body can cause jaundice. This is a yellowing of the skin and eyes. • Removing waste products. When you take in a potentially toxic substance, like alcohol or medicine, your liver helps alter it and remove it from your body. • Controls immune responses. When bacteria, viruses, and other harmful organisms enter your body, your liver can find and destroy them. This is done by specialized cells in your liver. • Controlling glucose. The liver helps your body maintain a healthy level of blood sugar. Your liver supplies glucose to your blood when it’s needed. It also removes glucose from your...

Liver Function The liver performs many functions essential for good health and long life. Among its most important jobs are: • Producing important substances. Your liver continually produces bile. This is a chemical that helps turn fats into energy that your body uses. Bile is necessary for the digestive process. Your liver also creates albumin. This is a blood protein that helps carry hormones, drugs and fatty acids throughout your body. Your liver also creates most of the substances that help your blood clot after injury. • Processing bilirubin. The liver helps your body get rid of bilirubin, a substance found in bile. This happens from the breakdown of your red blood cells. Too much bilirubin in your body can cause • Removing waste products. When you take in a potentially toxic substance, like alcohol or medicine, your liver helps alter it and remove it from your body. • Controlling immune responses. When bacteria, viruses and other harmful organisms enter your body, specialized cells in your liver can find and destroy these organisms. • Maintaining glucose. The liver helps your body maintain a healthy level of blood sugar. Your liver supplies glucose to your blood when it’s needed. It also removes glucose from your blood when there’s too much. Liver Health There are many steps you can take to keep your liver functioning well and reduce your risk for liver disease: • Stay up to date on your shots. • Wash your hands often, especially after using the bathroom, touching pe...

The liver is the largest solid organ in the body. It removes toxins from the body’s blood supply, maintains healthy blood sugar levels, regulates blood clotting, and performs hundreds of other vital functions. It is located beneath the rib cage in the right upper abdomen. Key Facts • The liver filters all of the blood in the body and breaks down poisonous substances, such as alcohol and drugs. • The liver also produces bile, a fluid that helps digest fats and carry away waste. • The liver consists of four lobes, which are each made up of eight sections and thousands of lobules (or small lobes). Functions of the Liver The liver is an essential organ of the body that performs over 500 vital functions. These include removing waste products and foreign substances from the bloodstream, regulating blood sugar levels, and creating essential nutrients. Here are some of its most important functions: • Albumin Production: Albumin is a protein that keeps fluids in the bloodstream from leaking into surrounding tissue. It also carries hormones, vitamins, and enzymes through the body. • Bile Production: Bile is a fluid that is critical to the digestion and absorption of fats in the small intestine. • Filters Blood: All the blood leaving the stomach and intestines passes through the liver, which removes toxins, byproducts, and other harmful substances. • Regulates Amino Acids: The production of proteins depend on amino acids. The liver makes sure amino acid levels in the bloodstream rema...

The Biliary System: Anatomy and Functions Anatomy of the biliary system The biliary system consists of the organs and ducts (bile ducts, gallbladder, and associated structures) that are involved in the production and transportation of bile. The transportation of bile follows this sequence: • When the liver cells secrete bile, it is collected by a system of ducts that flow from the liver through the right and left hepatic ducts. • These ducts ultimately drain into the common hepatic duct. • The common hepatic duct then joins with the cystic duct from the gallbladder to form the common bile duct. This runs from the liver to the duodenum (the first section of the small intestine). • However, not all bile runs directly into the duodenum. About 50% of the bile produced by the liver is first stored in the gallbladder. This is a pear-shaped organ located directly below the liver. • Then, when food is eaten, the gallbladder contracts and releases stored bile into the duodenum to help break down the fats. Functions of the biliary system The biliary system's main function includes the following: • To drain waste products from the liver into the duodenum • To help in digestion with the controlled release of bile Bile is the greenish-yellow fluid (consisting of waste products, cholesterol, and bile salts) that is secreted by the liver cells to perform 2 primary functions: • To carry away waste • To break down fats during digestion Bile salt is the actual component that helps break dow...

What is the liver? The human liver is an organ and gland in the human body. It’s spongy, wedge-shaped, reddish-brown in color and about the size of a football. The size varies based on how tall you are and how much you weigh. The liver is an essential organ, performing hundreds of functions necessary to sustain life. It's also a gland because it makes proteins and hormones that other parts of the body need. Weighing, on average, about three pounds in an adult, the liver is the largest internal organ. Under normal conditions, the liver is located on the right side of the body, under the ribs. In a condition called situs inversus, the liver is located on the left side. Issues related to the liver are called hepatic conditions. A medical professional who specializes in the liver is a hepatologist. What does the liver do? The liver has hundreds of jobs. Some of the most vital are: • Cleans toxins (harmful substances) out of the blood. • Gets rid of old red blood cells. • Makes bile, a fluid that helps the body digest (break down) food. • Metabolizes proteins, carbohydrates and fats so your body can use them. • Produces substances to help blood clot. • Regulates the amount of blood in the body. • Stores glycogen (an energy source) and vitamins to be used by the body later. What are the parts of the liver? The liver has two main parts: the larger right lobe and the smaller left lobe. The lobes contain many blood vessels. Blood travels through the liver. The liver filters (cleans...