Click Image to Enlarge. The liver has 2 main sections lobes. Both are made up of 8 segments. The segments are made up of a thousand small lobes lobules. The lobules are connected to small ducts tubes that connect with larger ducts to ultimately form the common hepatic duct. The liver can be damaged if a person is very overweight or drinks too much alcohol. So be active, eat right, and your liver will keep on loving you back! Reviewed by: KidsHealth Medical Experts. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size.
The liver does many jobs, but here are three big ones: It cleans your blood. It produces an important digestive liquid called bile.
It stores energy in the form of a sugar called glycogen. The Liver Cleans Blood The liver helps you by taking toxins substances in the body that are actually like poisons out of your blood. Page 1 The Liver Makes Bile As you probably know, the digestive system does more than just move food through your body until it's time for a trip to the bathroom.
The Liver Stores Glycogen The liver also helps the body use carbohydrates carbs , another important component in food. And That's Not All! Loving Your Liver Now that you know how much your liver does for you, you're probably wondering what you can do for it. The liver consists of four lobes: the larger right lobe and left lobe, and the smaller caudate lobe and quadrate lobe. Each of these lobules has a duct flowing toward the common hepatic duct, which drains bile from the liver.
The best way to avoid liver disease is to take active steps toward a healthy life. The following are some recommendations that will help keep the liver functioning as it should:. Columbia University Irving Medical Center. The Liver and Its Functions. Key Facts The liver filters all of the blood in the body and breaks down poisonous substances, such as alcohol and drugs. The liver also produces bile, a fluid that helps digest fats and carry away waste.
The liver consists of four lobes, which are each made up of eight sections and thousands of lobules or small lobes. Functions of the Liver The liver is an essential organ of the body that performs over vital functions. Here are some of its most important functions: Albumin Production : Albumin is a protein that keeps fluids in the bloodstream from leaking into surrounding tissue.
It also carries hormones, vitamins, and enzymes through the body. Autoimmune hepatitis can lead to cirrhosis and other liver damage. If left untreated, the condition can cause liver scarring and affect liver tissue. Cirrhosis is a condition where scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue. A number of conditions can cause cirrhosis. This condition causes an excess of iron to build up in the body. Too much iron can damage the liver, sometimes causing cirrhosis. Hepatitis generally refers to a viral infection that causes liver inflammation, although there are other possible causes of hepatitis.
Each has a different cause and severity. Hepatitis A is more common in developing countries without clean drinking water and with poor sanitation systems. Most people can recover from hepatitis A without liver failure or long-term complications. Hepatitis B can cause a short or long-term infection. The younger you are when infected, the higher the risk for long-term infection. While in U. The condition can cause serious complications, including liver failure and cancer.
Hepatitis C can be an acute or chronic infection, however the majority of acute hepatitis C infections will turn chronic. Although less common, transmission through sexual intercourse can occur. This condition can cause inflammation that can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer.
These are conditions where fat builds up in the liver. An excess of fat can damage the liver, causing inflammation. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis NASH is a form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease that causes scarring or fibrosis. People who are obese or have conditions relating to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes , are more likely to have this disease. The liver has many functions in the body as well as an amazing capacity to regenerate itself.
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