Amazing Liver Part 2: The Multifunctional Marvel

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Are ready to discover how your liver keeps you alive? The liver has a remarkable ability to manage fats, proteins, and toxins, and manufactures essential compounds that defend your body from harm.

Your liver is a biochemical factory, a detox powerhouse, and a vigilant protector. This organ’s complex functions are vital for everything from hormone balance to immune defence. This is why a healthy liver is the foundation of overall wellness.

Fat Metabolism

The liver regulates fat metabolism and fat storage by converting excess carbohydrates into fatty acids. These fatty acids are stored as triglycerides in your liver and fatty areas of your body. So, it’s very easy to become overweight by eating excess carbohydrates.

When you follow a very low carbohydrate diet your body breaks down fat and this fat is converted into substances called ketones in your liver. These ketones can be used to make energy in the heart, brain and muscle. A ketogenic diet is very effective for weight loss but cannot be followed long term.

The liver manufactures cholesterol which is critical for healthy cell membranes, and the production of steroid hormones and bile. The liver regulates the cholesterol levels in the blood.

Protein Metabolism

The liver regulates protein metabolism. When protein and nitrogen are metabolized by the body this produces ammonia, (mainly in the intestines by gut bacteria), and also by the muscles and kidneys. Ammonia is very toxic and the liver quickly converts it into urea for safe excretion by the kidneys. If ammonia levels rise you will have mental fatigue and brain fog.

Manufacture of Essential Compounds

The liver acts as a major manufacturing and secretory gland, producing a diverse range of compounds that are exported throughout the body. It makes bile acids from cholesterol, and the bile is secreted into the intestines to enable the absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins. Bile is also an important way the liver secretes toxic chemicals and heavy metals out of the body into the intestines to be eliminated in the faeces.

Another important function of the liver is the production of clotting factors,

which prevent you from bleeding to death, and contributes to blood pressure regulation through angiotensinogen production. The liver makes Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), which stimulates cells throughout the body to grow, proliferate, and build proteins. So, a healthy liver is essential to maintain muscle and bone mass and strength.

The transport of fats in the blood stream is regulated by the liver. It makes lipoproteins such as very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). These particles transport triglycerides, cholesterol, and other lipids between different body tissues.

Detoxification and Clearance of Waste

The liver removes and neutralizes substances that are toxic to the body. The liver cells contain a complex system of enzymes, (called cytochrome P450 enzymes) which can inactivate medications and other foreign substances so they can be excreted in urine, bile, sweat and saliva.

The liver processes the waste product from the breakdown of old red blood cells through bilirubin conjugation and excretion. It takes unconjugated bilirubin, a yellowish pigment, and chemically links it to glucuronic acid, making it water-soluble so it can be excreted into the bile and eliminated from the body.

The liver is the great protector

The liver is a physical filter which removes unhealthy cells, circulating cancer cells, and debris from the blood stream. The liver contains immune cells (Kupffer cells) which chew up rubbish, reduce the spread of cancer and fight infection. The liver protects your immune system from overload.

by Dr Sandra Cabot

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