The Healthy Liver
The Body's Natural Filter
A healthy liver filters about 540 gallons of blood a day, which may add up to more than 13 million gallons over a lifetime.
One of the largest organs in the body, the liver is positioned in the upper right side of the abdomen. The liver filters toxins, or harmful substances and waste products from the blood.
Among the many functions of the liver are:
- Storing glycogen, or fuel for the body, made from sugars. Glycogen is then broken down into glucose and released into the bloodstream when needed.
- Processing fats and proteins from digested food
- Producing clotting factors for the blood
- Processing medicines
- Processing or removing alcohol, poisons or toxins from the body
- Producing bile, which helps to digest fats.
The liver has an important role in breaking down alcohol, so that it can be removed from the body. If a person drinks more alcohol than the liver can handle, the result is injury to the liver and interference with its ability to break down protein, fats and carbohydrates.
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