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10 Interesting Facts About the Liver

By PureHealth Research Sep 11, 2024

Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by our experts

Medically reviewed by 7 min read

Medically reviewed by 6 citations

Woman holding human Liver anatomy model.

The liver, coincidently your body’s largest internal organ, is extraordinary. It’s a survival tool, and we are not exaggerating. It has wide-ranging functions, from detoxification and bile production to metabolism regulation. Your liver is resilient, especially when your body needs the extra boost. 

To honor the liver, much of this article will focus on 10 fascinating facts about the liver. Read it to understand this organ’s beautiful design and crucial roles. You can be sure to develop a newfound appreciation for the liver and how it contributes to our overall well-being!

Liver Anatomy

The liver sits beneath the diaphragm on the upper right side of your abdomen. Weighing about as much as a box of wine, it has two primary lobes. The organ receives blood through the hepatic artery.

Above, we highlighted the liver’s resilience. However, it’s crucial to understand that it can suffer injury. What foods can damage your liver? Alcohol, high-fructose foods, and excessive fat are sources of liver inflammation. How do you protect your liver? A healthy diet does the trick!

Liver Function

What is the function of the liver? Here are five crucial points:

  • Metabolism – The liver metabolizes carbs, proteins, and fats, bringing your body energy and essential nutrients.
  • Detoxification – Toxin exists in our blood. What filters it out? Yes, the liver.
  • Protein Synthesis – How does our blood clot, and what balances our body’s fluids? Albumin and clotting factors are proteins produced by the liver to help with these functions.
  • Storage of Vitamins and Minerals – Think of a storage unit filled with vitamins and minerals. No, that’s not your favorite drugstore. It’s your liver. Whenever our body requires them, the organ releases them!
  • Nutrient Processing – The liver takes absorbed nutrients from the digestive tract and turns them into glucose, amino acids, and more.

Want to improve liver function? Read on for 10 facts about the liver that will guide you in that process.

Ten Facts About the Liver

Have you ever examined your stools, skin, or energy levels? Do they look healthy and good? These are vital indicators of how your liver is working. Moreover, if you’re trying to cleanse your system, these are signs of a liver detox working!

Are you ready? Ten fun facts about the liver are coming right up!

Fact 1: A Healthy Liver Helps Keep Your Brain Healthy

Feeling a little hazy? Your liver may be the reason. If it doesn’t do a good job of filtering toxins out of the blood, they will affect the brain! Without optimal liver function, you might suffer confusion and memory loss. In severe cases, you may even fall into a coma!

Fact 2: The Liver Can Regenerate Itself

All hope isn’t lost when your liver suffers injury or surgery. It’s an incredible organ that can regenerate by itself! So, despite incurring significant damage, your liver can not only continue to function but also repair itself. Isn’t that wonderful?

However, it’s essential to stay alert to warning signs of liver damage you shouldn’t ignore, such as unexplained fatigue, yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), and dark urine. Recognizing these symptoms early can help you take action to support your liver’s healing process and overall health.

Fact 3: It Stocks Iron

What causes anemia? It’s the lack of iron. Thankfully, the liver takes the excess iron from whatever we eat and stores it. When our body requires more iron, the liver releases it. That’s how we get a steady stream of iron, which is essential for producing hemoglobin.

Fact 4: The Liver Can Produce Glucose

You probably know that glucose equals energy. But were you aware that the liver produces it? During gluconeogenesis, the liver transforms amino acids and glycerol into glucose. So, at your next fast or workout, pay attention. Your liver is helping you sustain energy levels!

Fact 5: The Liver Can Produce Heat

Heat is a product of the fat metabolic process. Your body needs an optimal temperature for enzyme survival and cellular reactions that keep you alive. Thanks to the liver’s fat metabolic process, it contributes to the maintenance of your body’s core temperature.

Fact 6: The Liver Can Produce Hormones

The liver synthesizes angiotensinogen, a precursor to angiotensin. This hormone regulates your blood pressure and fluid balance. Ever felt faint? It might be your blood pressure dropping. Here, your kidneys raise sodium and blood volume and release renin, which converts angiotensinogen into angiotensin, a hormone that constricts blood vessels, helping return your blood pressure to optimal.

Fact 7: Liver May Affect Mental Health

Liver function affects mental health – did you know that? The brain doesn’t deal well with toxic blood. Thankfully, our powerhouse organ breaks down harmful toxins from the blood and shuttles them for safe elimination. The result is better moods and thinking skills. Prone to low moods and anxious feelings? Examine your liver function!

Fact 8: The Liver Can Metabolize Alcohol

Some of us like to let loose with alcohol. We can do that thanks to our liver. Through certain enzymes, like alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase, which process the alcohol. Scarring can still occur, though, so drink wisely!

Fact 9: Dual-Blood Supply

Blood flows into the liver via the hepatic artery and portal vein. One source brings oxygenated blood, whereas the other is full of nutrients from the intestines. Interestingly, this varied blood supply means that the body gets the right balance of nutrients and oxygen.

Fact 10: The Liver Is the Second Largest Organ in Your Body

The liver is the second-largest organ of the body (after the skin). Its extensive cell and blood vessel networks are pushed to the limit daily to perform essential functions.

What’s the Best Way to Improve Liver Function?

Ever wondered why some people seem so healthy and fit? They’re mentally and physically sound and so energetic. Plus, their body looks incredible. If you went with them to get a full body checkup, you’d realize that their liver is functioning optimally.

Now, not everyone’s liver works at 100%. Sometimes, we need a little boost, and that comes in the shape of PureHealth Research’s Liver Health Formula. This supplement is the natural approach to stubborn fat, fatigue, and digestive issues.

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Liver Health Formula

Feel lighter, energized, and improve digestion with Liver Health Formula. Unlock the power of a healthy liver for lasting vitality.

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Liver Health Formula

Feel lighter, energized, and improve digestion with Liver Health Formula. Unlock the power of a healthy liver for lasting vitality.

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Try it Now

Liver Health Formula

2480

Feel lighter, energized, and improve digestion with Liver Health Formula. Unlock the power of a healthy liver for lasting vitality.

Try it Now

The liver is resilient; that’s true. But all that work wears it down. To significantly support your liver’s health, give it milk thistle, turmeric, and L-cysteine. Now, it isn’t a mere coincidence that the Liver Health Formula contains all this and more. This supplement’s ingredients help the liver detoxify harmful agents, burn fat, improve energy levels, and optimize cellular regeneration and renewal. In addition, a revitalized liver optimizes multiple levels of health, including digestion. Support your liver today, and you’ll enjoy a boost of energy like never before. 

Conclusion

Throughout this article, we shone the spotlight on interesting facts about the liver. This organ’s regeneration ability and unique functions make it essential for health. Consider its size and two crucial blood supplies. So, thinking about eating at your favorite fast-food outlet or having a bit too much wine? Check whether these are not the foods that damage your liver? Keep these liver functions in mind:

  • Metabolizes carbohydrates, proteins, and fats
  • Boosts moods
  • Improves cognitive function
  • Stores vital vitamins and minerals

The above facts about the liver highlight its resilience. It regenerates and sustains our lives. Don’t abuse it!

What Is Special About the Liver?

The liver can regenerate itself.

What Are 5 Functions of the Liver?

The five functions of the liver cover the following:
• Metabolism
• Detoxification
• Bile production
• Nutrient storage
• Protein synthesis

How Big Is Your Liver?

As the largest internal organ, the liver weighs around three pounds. It measures about six inches thick.

1.

World Health Organization: WHO. (2020, April 29). Healthy diet.

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
2.

Hora, S., & Wuestefeld, T. (2023). Liver injury and regeneration: current understanding, new approaches, and future perspectives. Cells, 12(17), 2129.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10486351/
3.

Anemia – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic. (2023, May 11). Mayo Clinic.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20351360
4.

Seo, S. W., et al. (2016). Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with cognitive function in adults. Neurology, 86(12), 1136–1142.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4820136/
5.

Edenberg, H. J., & McClintick, J. N. (2018). Alcohol dehydrogenases, aldehyde dehydrogenases, and Alcohol Use Disorders: A Critical review. Alcoholism/Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6286250/
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Mulrow, C., et al. (2000). Milk Thistle: Effects on liver disease and cirrhosis and clinical adverse effects: summary. AHRQ Evidence Report Summaries – NCBI Bookshelf.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11896/
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