Interesting Facts About the Human Liver

Tidbits Studies the Human Liver.

While chances are you rarely think about your liver, this vital organ is constantly working to keep your body in good working order. Because October is National Liver Awareness Month, Tidbits is bringing you up to date on your liver’s important functions and what you can do to keep it healthy.

• The liver is a wedge-shaped organ, reddish-brown in color, and is the largest glandular organ of the body. At about six inches in width, it weighs around 3.3 lbs. and is the heaviest internal organ we have. The liver is located in the upper right quadrant of your abdominal cavity, to the right of your stomach, overlying your gall bladder.

LIVER FUNCTIONS

• It’s estimated that the liver performs around 500 functions in your body, with about 200 of those working simultaneously. If your liver were to stop functioning for a single day, you would die!

• The three main functions of the liver are storing fuel, filtering harmful toxins from the blood, and producing bile that helps the body digest food. When food is consumed, the digestive system it immediately starts breaking it down into tiny particles. Nutrients from the food, such as sugars, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals enter the bloodstream and travel to the liver, which will process and deliver them throughout your system according to what your body needs.

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