What is the main function of the liver

Summer is over. Do you know how much torture summer brings to our liver? The hot summer makes our emotions become abnormally turbulent, excessive sweating, or the long days and short nights make our daily routines less regular, etc. Do you know that these are actually harmful to our liver? Why are these related to the liver? Next, I will introduce to you the main functions of our liver;

The liver is an important immune organ in the human body. It is an important component of the reticuloendothelial system and an important immune organ. It actively participates in normal immune activities. Although it does not directly produce antibodies, it has a large number of macrophages and plays an important role in immunity. The macrophages in the liver are fixed and are called Kupffer cells. Most of the antigen particles from the intestines are phagocytosed and cleared by Kupffer cells in the liver. Unlike general macrophages, Kupffer cells do not have the ability to increase the immunogenicity of antigens.

On the contrary, it has the effect of eliminating or weakening antigenicity. The liver is also the largest digestive gland in the human body and the organ with the most active metabolism. It is responsible for extremely important and complex functions, such as the metabolism and storage of fat, carbohydrates and protein, regulating the concentration of substances in the blood, secreting bile, detoxification, etc. There are more than 500 biochemical reactions taking place in the liver. Such numerous metabolic activities are mainly due to the actions of hundreds of enzymes contained in the liver. The main functions of the liver are described as follows:

(1) Synthesis and storage function: Most of the ingested nutrients are digested and absorbed by the stomach and small intestine, and then enter the liver through the portal vein. They are "processed" in the liver and synthesized into various important substances needed by the human body through the action of liver cells, such as plasma proteins (albumin, fibrinogen, prothrombin, globulin), lipoproteins, glycogen, cholesterol, bile salts, etc. At the same time, the liver also stores glycogen, vitamins, iron and other substances.

(2) Secretion of bile: Liver cells can metabolize insoluble bilirubin broken down from hemoglobin in the blood into soluble bilirubin, and release it back into the blood to be excreted through the kidneys or released into the bile ducts, where it forms bile with bile salts, cholesterol, etc. and is discharged into the duodenum. Among them, bile salts help the digestion and absorption of fat.

(3) Detoxification: The liver can convert poisons absorbed into the body or toxic substances produced during the body's metabolism into non-toxic or less toxic substances, accelerate their excretion, protect the body from poisoning, and maintain normal physiological functions.

(4) Defensive function: The liver is rich in macrophages, which can engulf and remove foreign matter from the blood and are a major component of the body's defense system. (5) Hematopoietic function: The liver has hematopoietic function during the embryonic period. The normal adult liver generally no longer participates in hematopoiesis, but still has this potential. Under certain pathological conditions, the liver can restore a certain hematopoietic function.

The liver of an adult weighs about 1400g (about 1500g for men and about 1300g for women), accounting for 1/30-1/50 of the body weight. Everyone should know that this amount in our body is very important, so we must protect our liver. Developing a reasonable diet and good work and rest habits is the best protection for our liver!