Functions of the liver. Why does a person need a liver and what is the liver responsible for in the human body
How does the liver work, what functions does it perform, what adversely affects the state of the organ and how to maintain its health?
The liver is constantly exposed to stress, because not everyone leads healthy lifestyle life, eat healthy food and drink only clean water. We tell you how to maintain her health, and what can harm her.
Where does the word "liver" come from? As the etymological dictionary of Max Fasmer suggests, - from the word "oven". And this is not surprising, because the liver is the hottest organ in the body. In addition, it is also the largest organ - in adults it weighs 1.2-1.5 kg. Its mass is about 5% of body weight in children and about 2% in adults.
The location of the liver in the body also indicates its importance - it is, as it were, “hidden” behind the ribs on the right side of the body, and, normally, its lower edge is at the level of the last rib. What happens in the liver, which is why it is given such a reliable place?
Multifunction device
About 20 million chemical reactions take place in the liver every minute. Leaving Julius Caesar far behind, it simultaneously performs more than 500 functions:
- participates in the regulation of blood sugar levels;
- accumulates and stores nutrients (vitamins, iron, glycogen);
- produces bile, which helps break down and absorb fats;
- synthesizes many biologically active substances and components of the immune system;
- processes hormones.
Not a single type of metabolism can do without the participation of the liver: protein, carbohydrate, fat, mineral, pigment. It is also responsible for maintaining energy balance. Judge for yourself what the body will turn into if at least one function fails.
Attention! One of the main functions of the liver, for which we especially appreciate it, is cleansing. Almost 95% of all foreign substances entering the body or formed in it in the course of life are neutralized by the liver.
However, protecting us from toxins, the liver itself "gets hit" - harmful substances have a detrimental effect on its cells and become the main cause of disruption of the organ.
A furnace that burns toxins
How is the process of cleansing the food that we supply to our body? One of the most important vessels of the liver is the portal vein - it collects nutrient-rich blood from the digestive organs (stomach, intestines) and carries it to the liver, which immediately begins to filter it, neutralizing and destroying toxins. Only after passing through the liver and undergoing the necessary changes, the nutrients are absorbed into the general bloodstream.
Almost all the work of the liver is performed by special liver cells - hepatocytes. It is they who are responsible for neutralizing the bulk of toxins, protein breakdown products and other chemical compounds that they process with the help of unique specific enzymes. Hepatocytes and their membranes (shells) primarily suffer from toxic substances, so their condition determines the condition of the entire liver.
Do not wake the sleeping liver!
The fact is that the work of the liver, like other organs of the human body, is subject to biological rhythms. The body works most actively in the morning, in the evening, after 18 hours, recovery processes are launched in it. Having a hearty supper in the evenings, we unceremoniously break them, forcing the liver to participate in digestion. In addition, at this time, bile is practically not produced, and all the fats and sugars eaten are transformed into, including on the liver itself.Attention! A diseased or fatty liver is not able to completely neutralize the unwanted chemical compounds and metabolic products that come to it - they accumulate in the blood and are carried throughout the body. Failures occur in other functions of the body, which ultimately leads to gastroenterological, endocrine, cardiovascular and many other diseases.
How to help the liver? What should be done to prevent this unique biochemical laboratory from turning into a waste processing plant and drowning in "waste"? To protect the liver and prevent its diseases, you need:
- first of all, do not harm her - avoid junk food, synthetic drugs, alcohol and other toxic substances;
- protect liver cells from damage of a toxic, inflammatory and infectious nature, providing them with the necessary minerals, vitamins and plant extracts;
- have a choleretic effect on the body;
- regularly “cleanse” the body and remove toxins from it;
- lead a physically active lifestyle.
milk thistle
The death of hepatocytes begins with damage to their membranes. Therefore, the main thing to start with the restoration of the liver is the restoration of hepatocyte membranes. One of the best remedies for this are extracts of hepatoprotective plants (that is, “liver protectors”), which, in addition to vitamins and trace elements, contain unique substances that positively affect the functioning of the organ. The most famous of them is milk thistle. Its fruits contain vitamins E and K, as well as many biologically active substances that strengthen the membranes of hepatocytes and promote the formation of new liver cells.
It protects the liver and artichoke from adverse effects - it stimulates the outflow of bile, lowers cholesterol levels in the blood, and rejuvenates cells. Unfortunately, in Russia the artichoke appears on sale extremely rarely, more often in canned form, therefore biologically active additives become the main source of valuable substances contained in it.
vitamins
Antioxidants provide invaluable assistance to liver cells - they prevent their oxidation and damage, protect hepatocyte enzymes responsible for neutralizing toxic substances. Antioxidants are rich in fresh vegetables and fruits, berries. Particular attention should be paid to those of them that contain a lot of vitamin C - black currants, rose hips, strawberries, sweet red peppers and citrus fruits.
Another vitamin that is extremely important for the restoration and health of the liver is E. It maintains the integrity and stability of liver cells, protects them from destruction. Most vitamin E in vegetable oils and nuts, sea buckthorn, chokeberry and blackberry are also rich in them.
Attention! Vitamins B₁, B₂, B₆, B₁₂, PP also take part in the chemical reactions that take place in the liver. With a nutritious diet, they are easily replenished from ordinary everyday products, but if you are on a diet or often deal with “fast” food, we advise you to take multivitamin complexes.
trace elements
Normal liver function is impossible without trace elements. The most important of these are selenium and zinc.
The normal content of selenium in the body reduces the toxicity of many substances, including drugs and alcohol. On the contrary, with a deficiency of this microelement, even a weak effect on the liver is enough to disrupt its work. Selenium contains pistachios, coconuts, garlic, broccoli, pork, cereal sprouts, fish and seafood.
As for zinc, it provides antitoxic functions of the liver, protects it from exposure to harmful substances. Its main sources are meat, fish and eggs.
Do not forget about other trace elements - sodium, potassium, calcium and phosphorus - the lack of which can also cause liver dysfunction.
Attention! It is impossible to help the liver, leaving the bile ducts unsupported, because when bile stagnates, the liver cells work with overload, and this adversely affects the state of the whole organism. St. John's wort, knotweed, immortelle, barberry and, of course, artichoke will help stimulate the outflow of bile.
As with everything related to our health, an integrated approach is important in caring for the liver. By activating metabolic processes, you need to increase the outflow of metabolic products, and by stimulating the division of new cells, you need to take care of their protection. Therefore, it is important to create a diet that will provide the liver with all the elements and substances it needs.
If for some reason you cannot do this, you always have the opportunity to trust professionals and choose biologically active food supplements that already contain in a complex and, most importantly, the right combination of all substances that will help support liver function, which means , - the health of the whole organism.The article is a transcription of video lectures by a doctor with 20 years of experience Moroz I.Yu.
If you ask a person why do we need a liver? You can hear various options: we must clean it, since it is an important organ in the human body. She produces bile, but why?
People live without a gallbladder. And for some reason they cannot live without a liver. Let's take a look at what it does in the body. There will be many revelations.
As it turned out, many health factors that people do not associate with the liver are directly related to it. And until the liver is healthy, we will not put these factors in order.
So what does the liver do? In order for the body to function normally, for the muscles to work, for the internal organs to work correctly, for the enzyme systems in both the intestines and the stomach to work as they should, so that the nerve impulse passes through the nerve fibers, first of all, constancy is necessary the internal environment of the body, namely:
- can a person live at a temperature of 45 degrees?
- Can not.
- At a temperature of 30 degrees can he live?
- Also no.
36.6 is the ideal body temperature. Up to 42 degrees, some other vital processes are supported, then irreversible changes occur. Therefore, the temperature factor is one of the factors of the constancy of the internal environment of the body. In the same way, the pH of the blood or the acidity of the blood, it must be at a certain level. If this constant shifts either to the alkaline or to the acid side, the blood stops working as a full-fledged tissue, it stops carrying oxygen and other nutrients. The same thing happens in tissues, the same thing happens with any hormones, enzymes and other biologically active substances that are in the body, etc.
Blood pressure should be 120/70, plus or minus a few units, at least at 300/200 there has not yet been a case for a person to live, the same 40/0 is an unviable person.
There are a lot of these constants in the body. And when they are all normal, a person lives and does not think about it. When at least something changes, a person starts to get sick. The pressure rose - hypertension, the body temperature rose during inflammation, if the enzymes stopped working - ate an apple and got bloating, etc.
The liver is responsible for maintaining homeostasis, for maintaining the constancy of the internal environment of the body. She brings all these factors together, she is like a general in the army, like a marshal. It makes sure that all the constants that should be such are respected in the body. If this is not the case, the body begins to unbalance and it begins to hurt. And it's not the liver that starts to hurt - the liver can't hurt because there are no nerve endings in the liver tissue.
The question arises: a what hurts in the right hypochondrium? The overstretched gallbladder hurts, but the liver tissue itself cannot hurt. If it hurts, then this is one case when, due to inflammation, the liver tissue swells very strongly, and all of it is dressed in a Glisson capsule. And when this capsule is stretched (and there are nerve endings in this capsule), then it hurts. But this is already a state of severe hepatitis, which, if not urgently treated in intensive care, ends in death.
Therefore, such disputes often arise with patients when a patient complains of a headache, proves that his liver does not hurt, and for some reason he is prescribed some kind of hepatoprotectors and liver cleansing. A person comes with severe headaches and it is actually very difficult to prove that these headaches are associated with liver dysfunction. Preservation of homeostasis is the main function of the liver, but this does not mean anything yet, how does this happen? What does the liver do and what is it involved in?
Two large groups of factors for which the liver is responsible.
First- this is participation in the metabolism of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and trace elements. The question immediately arises - if the liver is sick, and we give vitamins, what will we have? At least half the effect of taking them, and maybe none. This is about participation in the formation of some substances in the body.
What else does the liver do? This is the formation and secretion of bile. This is what many people know. In the future, we will find out why this bile is needed and whether it is possible to do without it.
As a subfactor of the first factor, it is excretion, or in Russian it is the excretion of metabolites, toxic and medicinal substances with bile. Metabolites are decay products, that is, if a person has taken some kind of synthetic drug, it has decomposed into inactive components and one of the excretion methods is with bile into the intestines from the intestines to the outside. If these decay products were not excreted with bile, then they remained in the blood of a person, damaging tissues, nerve fibers and nerve receptors. If a person works in hazardous jobs, he is constantly associated with toxins. Many of them are excreted in the bile into the intestines and excreted from the body.
If for some reason bile formation and bile secretion are disturbed, what do we have? If bile formation is impaired, all this remains in the blood, if bile formation is not impaired, but bile secretion is impaired, all this has accumulated in the gallbladder, in the bile ducts and remains in the liver tissue.
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About five thousand biochemical reactions take place in the liver, so let's try to group main functions of the liver into blocks to make them easier to understand.
Protein metabolism includes their synthesis in hepatocytes (main liver cells) from amino acids formed as a result of the breakdown of food protein and the body's own proteins. Most proteins can be formed only in the liver, therefore - a severe violation of its functions - lead to a breakdown in almost all body systems: blood clotting decreases, fluid accumulates in the abdominal cavity, and is suppressed. In addition to synthesis, the liver is also responsible for the breakdown of waste proteins.
The exchange of carbohydrates. The liver stores glucose in the form of glycogen and breaks it down when the body needs energy. Glucose is also formed in the liver from other sugars and non-carbohydrate compounds. The results of experimental studies carried out in the century before last showed that after the removal of the liver, the animal dies within the first day precisely from a sharp decrease in the level of glucose in the blood, leading to energy starvation of the brain. The loss of other liver functions, including neutralizing, simply does not have time to manifest itself.
The metabolism of fats is closely related to the metabolism of carbohydrates, which is most pronounced in obesity and diabetes. Cholesterol is synthesized in the liver and its excess is removed with bile, various forms of fats are formed and oxidized, which are the main energy depot and a structural component of cell membranes.
pigment exchange. Bilirubin, which is constantly formed from dead red blood cells, is toxic to the brain in high concentrations. The liver binds free bilirubin, which translates it into a safe form, which is excreted in the bile. Severe acute or chronic liver damage leads to the destruction of its cells, as a result of which bilirubin enters the bloodstream. The consequence of these pathological processes is jaundice, which is first manifested by yellowing of the eyes.
Neutralizing function. The liver converts poisons that come from outside and form in the intestines into a non-toxic form, giving purified, safe blood to other organs. Even if we do not consider alcohol and food toxins, it should be borne in mind that millions of microbes die in the colon every day, the components of which are partially absorbed into the blood. If liver function is impaired, they poison the brain first.
The main features of the liver
Why do we need a liver? Among the most important features of the liver its blood supply is from two sources - arterial and venous, and the portal vein carries more than 70% of all blood consumed by the liver. It is from there that the blood from the intestines comes - rich in oxygen and nutrients and at the same time "poisoned" by external and internal toxins. Passing through the liver, the composition of the blood changes dramatically: poisons are neutralized, oxygen is consumed, food components are spent on the needs of the liver cells and the synthesis of substances for the body. Then the blood enters the central hepatic veins, through which it flows into the general circulation. It turns out that the liver cells adjacent to the central vein are constantly experiencing a lack of oxygen and therefore are most sensitive to damaging factors, such as alcohol and its metabolic products. This is how one of the physiological paradoxes manifests itself - saving the body from poisoning by foreign substances, the liver itself suffers from them more than other organs.
The formation of bile. Bile is needed to facilitate the absorption of fats in the small intestine and to remove excess cholesterol. The main components of bile (bile acids, phospholipids, cholesterol) constantly make a hepatic-intestinal cycle, which maintains their optimal concentration during digestion. Some bile acids are toxic to liver cells, so damage to the cells of the small bile ducts, which form a natural barrier, leads to inflammation and death of surrounding hepatocytes.
Making an appointment at the polyclinic of the Research Institute of FCM
And you can call a hepatologist by phone: +7 499 246-44-50. Our Polyclinic of the Research Institute of Physical and Chemical Medicine of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency is located at the address: Malaya Pirogovskaya Street, 1. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the map in more detail at the metro station, you need to get out and follow the map further.
In the human body, the liver performs many functions, from digestion to blood formation. The liver is a digestive gland that promotes the processing and absorption of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
The liver is a digestive gland that promotes the processing and absorption of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
What is responsible for
It is impossible to appreciate everything that the liver does to maintain human life. This is not only a digestive gland, but also an organ in which various processes take place every second. Below are the main processes of those for which she is responsible.
Removes waste from their body
The human body can be compared to a giant factory that consumes raw materials and releases surplus production. The raw material is food consumed by humans. In addition to food, other unnecessary components accumulate in the body - vitamins, hormones, nitrogenous compounds. Continuously working, it contributes to their regular removal.
Chemical laboratory
Automobile exhausts, industrial emissions, household chemicals enter the body with inhaled air. Alcohol has a detrimental effect medications taken uncontrollably by humans. All this set enters the blood, with which it is carried throughout the body. The liver, like a sponge, passes every harmful component through itself., splits to a safe state. Without this, severe intoxication with a fatal outcome would have developed within a few days.
Accumulator of nutrients
It plays the role of an accumulator of vitamins A, D, E, K, some B vitamins. Also, its work is to maintain blood glucose levels, which are necessary to provide us with energy. If a person experiences severe physical exercise or starving, glycogen is converted into glucose.
Blood depot
It is a reservoir of a large supply of blood, which in a healthy body is isolated from the general blood flow. In the event of a serious injury or other blood loss, there is a large release into the blood vessels from the reservoir.
Her dimensions
It is the largest gland in our body. The liver of an adult does not exceed 30 cm in length, 15 and 20 cm in height (left and right lobules, respectively). The height of the organ should not exceed 10 cm.
In a healthy state, the lower edge of the right hepatic lobe does not protrude beyond the costal arch. Increasing, raising or lowering signals a malfunction in the body.
Normally, its weight in an adult is in the range of 1.5-1.8 kg.
The liver is located in the right hypochondrium
Structure
The liver is located in the region of the right hypochondrium. The gland has a semi-liquid consistency, but the structure is quite dense due to the outer shell, the glisson capsule.
Anatomy implies its division into lobes - right and left, they are separated by a falciform ligament and a transverse groove. The right lobe is much larger than the left, and in turn is divided into three parts. The left lobe is located on the left side of the peritoneum, next to the stomach, pancreas, and spleen.
If we consider the structure of the gland under a microscope, you can see that it consists of many hepatocytes (the so-called liver cells). In turn, the cells make up multiple prismatic formations called hepatic lobules. The latter are separated from each other, but the division is conditional - blood vessels and bile ducts pass through them. Thus, the lobule is the smallest structural unit of the liver.
Tasks of the gland
In addition to cleansing and blood formation, the role of the liver in metabolism is also important.
In addition to cleansing and blood formation, the role of the liver in metabolism is also important. It takes an active part in the metabolism of not only proteins, fats, carbohydrates, but also vitamins, hormones, amino acids. How it works affects the overall health and quality of life of a person.
About half of the protein is synthesized in the liver. Protein is made primarily from amino acids. The latter is brought to the liver by blood that comes from the intestines. Some amino acids are produced directly in the liver. During the day, the body is able to give up to 18 g of protein.
The liver is the only producer of prothrombin and fibrinogen, the proteins responsible for blood clotting. Violation of their synthesis can lead to serious hemorrhages. The liver produces albumins and globulins, a decrease in the level of which signals liver failure and other pathologies of the organ.
It also accumulates amino acids in case of insufficient intake of protein from food. In case of forced starvation, illness or a strict diet, the liver gives up reserves.
The participation of the liver in carbohydrate metabolism is explained by the synthesis of glycogen, which allows you to regulate the level of glucose in the blood. Glycogen is produced from carbohydrates that the body receives from food. It is also able to accumulate in the liver cells for a rainy day. If a person urgently needs energy, glycogen is converted into glucose and carried through the blood through the cells of the body, turning into energy.
The role of the organ in fat metabolism is determined by the synthesis of cholesterol, the formation and consumption of fatty acids.. Intensive formation of fat occurs during digestion and in between meals. Their consumption mainly depends on physical activity.
Carbohydrate and lipid metabolism are interconnected. An excess of carbohydrates contributes to the deposition of excess fat. Conversely, if a person does not receive enough carbohydrates, glucose is synthesized from the fat reserve.
The importance of the liver in digestion cannot be underestimated, mainly due to the production of bile by hepatocytes. The gallbladder is able to hold a considerable amount of bile. The necessary portions of bile enter the intestines during each meal. When the duodenum fills with digested food, bile enters there through the common bile duct.
What affects performance
The value of the liver for a full life is priceless. But, unfortunately, it is quite sensitive to external factors and a person's lifestyle. What destroys the body and how can you help?
Harmful factors include:
Excess weight causes liver problems
Long-term influence of one or more of the above factors leads to impaired liver function. In the absence of timely treatment, the death of liver cells begins, everything ends with hepatitis or cirrhosis.
Possibility of regeneration
One of the unique properties of the liver is the ability to regenerate.
Few people think about the importance of each organ. The liver plays an important role in the body. However, until serious health problems appear, not everyone appreciates its importance for the body.
One of the unique properties is the ability to regenerate, even if only 25% of the liver tissue is preserved. One example is the restoration of the original size of the organ after resection (removal of the diseased area). The process is quite slow, taking from several months to several years. Depends on the age and lifestyle of the patient.
It is able to respond to the lack and excess of size. Doctors have repeatedly observed patients after transplantation of a part of a donor organ. Interestingly, when the patient's native organ recovered and gradually recovered to the desired size, the donor part gradually atrophied.
Numerous studies have not fully explored the recovery mechanism. Scientists have found that it occurs due to the division of surviving healthy cells. It turns out that this is not so much regrowth as an increase in healthy liver lobules. Interesting Facts: removal of 90% of the tissue makes it impossible for hepatocytes to multiply. With resection of less than 40% of the organ, cell division also does not occur.
Major diseases
The quality of life and human performance depends on how the liver works. The insidiousness is that in the initial stages of the disease proceed hidden. A person rarely pays attention to the primary symptoms - nausea, weakness, heartburn, upset stool. When more serious signs of pathology appear, the process of pathology has gone far and requires long-term treatment.
Main pathologies:
- hepatitis of various etiologies;
- steatosis;
- cirrhosis;
- liver failure;
- benign and malignant neoplasms.
Video
Codes of our body. Liver. Educational film.