What is the liver needed for?
Liver performs various important functions in the human body:
1. Metabolism: It plays a crucial role in metabolizing carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
a) Carbohydrate metabolism: The liver converts excess glucose into glycogen through a process called glycogenesis. When blood sugar levels drop, it breaks down the stored glycogen into glucose and releases it into the bloodstream (gluconeogenesis).
b) Protein metabolism: It synthesizes various plasma proteins, such as albumin, clotting factors, and lipoproteins. It also deaminates amino acids, removing the amino group and converting them into urea.
c) Fat metabolism: The liver synthesizes fatty acids and cholesterol. It also breaks down fatty acids and produces ketones during periods of fasting or low carbohydrate intake.
2. Detoxification: The liver plays a vital role in detoxifying harmful substances, including drugs, toxins, and metabolic waste products. It processes and metabolizes these substances into less harmful compounds that can be excreted from the body.
3. Bile production: The liver produces bile, a fluid that aids in the digestion and absorption of dietary fats. Bile is stored in the gallbladder and released into the small intestine when needed.
4. Storage: It stores various essential substances, including:
- Glycogen: The liver stores excess glucose as glycogen.
- Vitamins: It stores vitamins A, D, B12, and some B-complex vitamins.
- Minerals: It stores iron and copper.
5. Immune function: It plays a role in the body's immune system by producing immune factors and removing bacteria, viruses, and other foreign particles from the bloodstream.
6. Blood regulation: It helps regulate blood clotting by synthesizing clotting factors. It also removes old or damaged red blood cells and produces new ones (in the fetus).
7. Cholesterol regulation: It helps maintain appropriate levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream by synthesizing and removing cholesterol. It also produces HDL (good) cholesterol and takes up LDL (bad) cholesterol.