The Amazing Liver Part 3: Health, Healing & Longevity

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Did you know that the liver’s role is to be a storehouse for nutrients and that it has the power to regenerate. Read more to find out how simple lifestyle changes and regular check-ups can protect your liver, boost your health, and help you live a longer, more vibrant life.

The liver’s legacy and influence extends far beyond metabolism—it is central to disease prevention, longevity, and regeneration.

The growing threat to the health of our liver is fatty liver disease, caused by our eating habits and modern life.

Storage and Hormonal Regulation

The liver is the largest internal organ in the human body and is the central processing factory for everything absorbed from the gut (digestive tract). For this reason, the liver is the gateway to the rest of the body. This allows the liver to regulate the chemical composition of blood before it circulates back to the heart and is then pumped around the whole body. It receives a double blood supply, with the portal vein bringing nutrient-laden blood directly from the intestines, which makes the liver the major organ of metabolism.

The liver is a warehouse for vitamins A, D, E, K, B12 and the minerals iron and copper. It helps the body to balance hormones by breaking down and clearing excess circulating hormones, including sex steroids like estrogen, and thyroid hormones.

Because the liver is so busy working 24/7 this metabolic activity generates heat which maintains body temperature at safe levels.

All the biochemical processes are performed by specialized cells in the liver called hepatocytes.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, has become the fastest-growing metabolic disorder worldwide, affecting millions of people who are unaware their liver is unhealthy. NAFLD is caused from excess fat stored in the liver due to modern lifestyle factors — processed food, inactivity, and chronic stress.

Most people do not know it’s happening until significant damage has already occurred. Subtle early signs include low energy, brain fog, weight gain and bloating — but these are easy to dismiss. Beneath the surface, your liver is struggling to keep up with the flood of inflammation and metabolic waste that builds when your liver cells are out of balance.

Fatty liver is now the most common cause of cirrhosis and liver transplant. Left unchecked, this dysfunction doesn’t stop at your liver. It sets the stage for diabetes, heart disease, and neurodegenerative disorders, all rooted in the same liver cell breakdown.

The function of the liver can be enhanced with supplements containing Milk Thistle, N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC), B vitamins, and selenium. This can also increase repair and regeneration in the liver.

The liver can repair and regenerate itself more than any other part of the body. The liver can grow back to nearly its original size and function from just a small part. This explains why living-donor liver transplants are possible, with both the remaining part in the donor and the transplanted part in the recipient growing to full size within a couple of months. A small piece, (such as a lobe), can be removed and transplanted, and both liver pieces will regenerate to become a complete, functional liver in both individuals.

It is so important to have an annual blood test to check your liver function as if we can detect liver inflammation early it is very easy to repair and reverse.

By improving your liver, you will –
Increase your energy
Protect your immune system
Boost fat metabolism
Reduce your risk of cancer
Slow down ageing
And optimise your whole body.

Love your liver and live longer!

by Dr Sandra Cabot

Amazing Liver Part 1: Your Body’s Energy Commander

Amazing Liver Part 2: The Multifunctional Marvel

Dr Cabot, a naturopath and medical doctor, champions healthy lifestyle habits that empower individuals to improve their wellbeing. She runs regular seminars around Australia.