It would be hard to top the description of what a liver does that Melissa Palmer included in Dr. Melissa Palmer’s Guide to Hepatitis & Liver Disease: What You Need to Know (Revised Edition) so I am not going to attempt it. Here is what a liver does, in her words:
The brain thinks. The heart beats. The stomach digests. But there’s no single active verb to describe what the liver does. This is because the liver has so many different jobs to perform. In fact, if you were to write a classified ad that covered all the liver’s responsibilities, it might read something like this:
WANTED–One highly reliable, extremely flexible organ that can act as a watchdog, grocer, housekeeper, bodybuilder, energy plant supervisor, and sanitation engineer. Will be required to process and sort gallons of digested food from the stomach and intestines each day. Must discriminate among fats, proteins, and carbohydrates and send them wherever they are needed in the body. Must be able to detoxify thousands of substances–ranging from alcohol to bug spray to turpentine fumes–that may be ingested with food and drink, absorbed through the skin, or breathed in the air. Should be able to dismantle old, worn-out blood cells and recycle whatever parts are salvageable and prepare the rest for elimination. Must transform cholesterol into steroid hormones, such as androgens and estrogens, and share responsibility with the kidneys to control thyroid hormones, which influence metabolism. Must regulate sugar levels for proper energy management and create clotting factors that stop bleeding from cuts or other wounds. Additional duties will include–but are not limited to–building reserves of vitamins A, D, E, K, and B12 as well as iron and copper. Must be able to accomplish all of the above without weighing more than 3 to 4 pounds.
Melissa Palmer, MD Dr. Melissa Palmer’s Guide to Hepatitis & Liver Disease: What You Need to Know (Revised Edition) 2004 (New York: Avery),8-9.
We don’t think about our livers very often. They don’t make a bunch of noise or require us to tell them what to do (thank goodness! I doubt I’d remember all of these processes!). However, each of us relies on this remarkable organ to keep things humming in our bodies. The liver is a hub for internal systems. It doesn’t act alone but truly must collaborate with multiple other organs.
Our livers neutralize poisons, help us digest fats, process vitamins and minerals, build muscles, regulate glucose, maintain hormone balances, process drugs, and keep our minds clear.
You can learn more about the liver and how to keep your own liver healthy at https://healthblog.uofmhealth.org/what-does-the-liver-do and https://healthblog.uofmhealth.org/how-to-have-a-healthy-liver
Waiting 
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