The heaviest gland of the body, the liver weighs about three pounds in the average adult and is the second largest organ of the body. (The skin is the body’s largest organ.) The liver is responsible for many vital functions.
The liver serves three functions: it stores and filters blood, removing toxic substances from drugs, food and body waste; it makes bile, which is released into the gut to help digest fat; and it metabolizes nutrients from food, releasing energy into the blood stream and storing vitamins and minerals.
The liver plays an essential role in maintaining normal blood glucose levels. When blood glucose levels are low, the liver kicks in and breaks down glycogen to glucose and then releases it into the bloodstream. The liver also is able to convert certain amino acids, lactic acids, and other sugars, such as fructose and galactose, into glucose.
It takes raw nutrients from our digestive system (in the form of carbohydrates, protein, amino acids, etc) and processes them so they can be stored and sent to different parts of our body in the right form and quantity. “The liver is placed strategically between the gut and the rest of our body; thereby it acts as a filter and prevents the passage of bacteria from the gut into the blood. Thus, the liver is also an important player in our defense mechanisms” (Web, 1).
The liver also breaks down fatty acids into acetyl coenzyme (a process called beta oxidation), stores triglycerides, and converts excess acetyl coenzyme A into “ketone” bodies (ketogenesis). In addition, the liver synthesizes lipoproteins, which transport fatty acids, triglycerides, and cholesterol to and from various body cells. The liver plays an essential role in protein metabolism, which includes important processes such as synthesizing plasma proteins, and converting toxic ammonia into urea, a much less toxic substance, which is excreted...........................
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