Liver Function – Do you know what are the functions of the liver? Most people are often not aware of liver function for overall body health. It is not surprising that today there are still many people who do not maintain healthy liver function.
The liver as part of the organs in the human body is the central organ of metabolism in the body. Even though it only has 2% of the total body weight, the liver is able to receive 1,500 ml of blood per minute to carry out its functions properly. The liver or liver is often known as the largest organ in the body, you know.
In addition, the liver is not only able to remove toxins but is also able to store vitamins and minerals that are good for your body. It should be noted that the liver is the only organ that can grow back after being reduced or cut through a long procedure of liver care or transplantation.
When sweating, the body undergoes a process of removing some substances that are no longer needed. It’s the same with humans when they breathe. When breathing, the body experiences the elimination of residual substances that are no longer needed through exhaled breath.
There are several waste products produced by the body, namely sweat, urine (urine), moisture, urea, uric acid, carbon dioxide gas, and bilirubin. These substances can be said to be waste or waste substances because if they are not removed they will become toxic to the body. Expenditure of various residual substances had to undergo a process called the process of excretion.
The vital function of the liver has a very important role for the health of the body. Given the function of the liver as a central organ of metabolism, we should not be indifferent to maintaining its health.
If Sinaumed’s doesn’t immediately take care of liver health, it is possible that you will be at risk of experiencing various kinds of diseases, such as liver cancer, hepatitis, fatty liver, and other diseases. For that, Sinaumed’s needs to prevent the worst possibility that will disrupt the body’s health.
The easy steps you can take are to get to know, know the function of the liver, and how to maintain its health. Then what are the functions of the heart? Come on, find out more about the function of the liver here!
What is Liver Organ?
The liver is known as the largest organ in the body’s digestive system and has many functions. The liver organ is also often known as the liver. It should be noted that the liver not only helps the digestive process, but also plays an important role in the circulatory system.
The liver as a complementary organ or extra tool is different from the stomach and intestines which are part of the digestive tract. However, the liver also carries out the digestive process with the help of the gallbladder, lymph vessels, intestines, innervation, and so on.
After getting to know the basic things about the liver, now is the time for Sinaumed’s to know the position and structure of the heart in the human body. This organ is located in the upper right abdominal cavity. The location of the liver is just below the diaphragm which fills most of the space under the ribs.
Its size is so large that the liver occupies a small amount of space in the upper left abdomen. Then at the bottom of the liver there is a small green organ, namely, the gallbladder. The liver also functions to form bile. Then the gallbladder will hold the bile before it is used for the digestive process.
Heart Parts
Next, Sinaumed’s needs to understand the anatomy of the liver by getting to know its parts first. The liver consists of several parts, such as lobes, vascular pathways, some connective tissue, and the liver nervous system. In the following, we will explain more about the various components that make up the liver.
Source: Webmd.com
1. Lobes (cleavage)
The liver organ in the human body has two main lobes. However, if observed there are other lobes on the back view of the liver. First, the liver has the largest right lobe, about six times the size of the left lobe.
Second, there is the left lobe or left hemisphere which is smaller in size compared to the right lobe. Third, the caudate lobe is the upper part of the liver which is only visible from behind. Fourth, there is the quadratus lobe which is the lower part of the liver that can be seen from behind.
2. Separating connective tissue (ligaments)
It should be noted that the liver is covered by a layer of connective tissue called the Glisson capsule. The network then develops into several types of ligaments that function as a barrier between one lobe and another.
Some of the dividing connective tissue in the liver is divided into four parts, namely the falciform ligament, coronary ligament, triangular ligament, and lesser omentum. Let’s discuss them one by one.
First, the falciform ligament is a sickle-shaped piece of tissue that attaches to the front of the liver and naturally separates the right and left lobes. Second, there is a network that attaches to the top to the bottom of the liver and this tissue is directly adjacent to the diaphragm to form a triangle. This tissue is called the coronary ligament .
Third, the triangular ligament is a network that is divided into the right ligament to divide the right lobe of the liver and the left ligament to divide the left lobe of the liver. Fourth, the lesser omentum is a tissue that attaches to the bottom of the liver and is directly adjacent to the stomach and large intestine.
3. The vascular system of the heart
The liver is capable of storing about 437 ml of blood each time. This amount is equivalent to 13% of the blood supply in the body.
Blood that flows directly to the liver has two main sources, namely oxygen-rich blood from the arteries of the liver and blood rich in nutrients from the veins of the liver. When observed through a microscope, Sinaumed’s will see liver cells arranged into hundreds of the smallest units commonly called lobules.
All vessels that enter and leave Sinaumed’s’ liver will interact with liver cells that are connected via lobules. Then the liver cells will produce the main ingredient that forms bile.
One of the main functions of the hepatic vascular system is to transport bile to the gallbladder. Furthermore, bile will flow into the intestine to carry out the digestive process.
4. Nervous system of the heart
The liver nervous system or what is called the hepatic plexus functions to control the liver. This one nervous system enters and branches in it. Then the nervous system of this heart goes through the same route as the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients.
Liver Function in the Digestive System
Reporting from the John Hopkins Medicine page, at least 500 important liver functions for your body have been discovered by scientists. This article will help Sinaumed’s recognize the main function of the liver for the body. Check out the following explanation.
1. Produce bile ran fluid
Liver cells produce an important fluid called bile. The main components of bile are water, bile salts, bile pigments, bile acids and bilirubin.
In addition, there are electrolyte minerals, cholesterol content, and phospholipids. In the digestive system, bile functions to change fat in the small intestine into small lumps that are easier to digest. Before carrying out its function, the liver will store bile in the gallbladder.
Then intestinal bacteria will change the basic ingredients of bile that are not used in the digestive process into bile acids. Furthermore, bile acids will be sent back to the liver to process the next digestive process.
2. Process the chemicals consumed
The liver also functions to clean the blood from various drugs, alcohol, chemicals, and materials that have the potential to produce toxins. The liver will carry out this function by converting chemicals into water-soluble molecules.
Then the liver also helps convert toxic ammonia into urea to be excreted in the urine. In processing chemicals, the ability of the liver is influenced by age, genetic factors, gender, liver health, and kidney health.
3. Remodel red blood cells
Please note that red blood cells in the body have an expiration age of around 100-120. Then the red blood cells that are considered old or out of date will be broken down by cells in the liver. Overhauled red blood cells will undergo changes to biliverdin.
Then the biliverdin will mix with other substances and turn into bilirubin. Furthermore, bilirubin will flow into the blood, filtered by the kidneys, and excreted in the urine. These substances will make your urine appear yellowish in color.
4. Save energy reserves
The liver has a function as a place to store energy reserves. When digesting carbohydrates, the liver will stabilize glucose (blood sugar) levels.
When Sinaumed’s’ blood sugar is high, the liver will filter sugar from the blood and then store it as an energy reserve in the form of glycogen. When Sinaumed’s’ blood sugar levels decrease, the liver will help break down the energy reserves that exist in the body.
Stored glycogen will be broken down into glucose and released back into the bloodstream. The liver will also release some vitamins and minerals if needed by the body.
Then when your blood sugar is very low, the body will take energy reserves from fat. The liver is also able to convert fat into energy as a substitute for sugar.
5. Regulate various mechanisms in the blood
Source: Hellohealth.com
In addition to storing energy reserves, the liver also produces proteins that can help blood clotting and transport of oxygen. The liver helps store iron which is processed by hemoglobin, a special protein that binds oxygen to red blood cells.
6. Other functions
In addition to the functions mentioned above, the liver also has various other functions for your body.
- The liver is able to produce cholesterol and special proteins that are useful for carrying fat throughout the body.
- The liver helps regulate a number of amino acids in the blood which will become the forerunner of the body’s building proteins.
- Another function of the liver is to prevent infection by forming various immune factors and removing bacteria in the blood.
How to Maintain Liver Health
1. Maintain diet and health
Source: Goodnet.org
To maintain a healthy liver, Sinaumed’s needs to consume lots of nutritious foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Then Sinaumed’s needs to reduce foods that contain lots of toxins, such as oily foods or foods with flavourings.
In maintaining the health of the liver, you also need to reduce the consumption of drugs that can inhibit or affect liver function. One example is alcohol. Excessive alcohol consumption will poison the body.
Sinaumed’s can tell if the liver is functioning properly through urine. If your urine is increasingly yellow, then that is an indication of impaired liver function.
2. Examination of liver function
Source: Medicinenet.com
Apart from the method above, Sinaumed’s can also find out the condition of the liver by conducting an examination to get more accurate results. Examination of the liver requires a blood sample to determine the type of disease that is in the body.
Examination of the liver will make it easier for you to find out how to maintain liver health. Here are some compounds that can help you check the health of your liver.
Albumin
The liver produces albumin as the main protein into the blood circulation. If you lack albumin, this could be due to malnutrition. For that, you need to consume lots of nutritious foods that can support albumin compounds in the body.
Bilirubin
This one compound is formed through hemoglobin and gives color to urine (urine) and feces through greenish bile. Excess bilirubin will cause jaundice due to consuming too much alcohol in the long term. For that, you need to reduce alcohol consumption so you don’t get jaundice due to excess bilirubin.