All About Liver Function And Damage

**Bunny** · 14th May 2007, 03:41 PM

Liver Anatomy :

Introduction of Liver :

Your liver, the largest organ in your body, plays a vital role in regulating life processes. This complex organ performs many functions essential to life. You simply cannot live without it.

The liver is located behind the lower ribs on the right side of your abdomen. It weighs about 3 pounds and is roughly the size of a football.

Your liver plays a key role in converting food into essential chemicals of life. All of the blood that leaves the stomach and intestines must pass through the liver before reaching the rest of the body. The liver is thus strategically placed to process nutrients and drugs absorbed from the digestive tract into forms that are easier for the rest of the body to use. In essence, the liver can be thought of as the body's refinery.

Your liver plays a principal role in removing toxic substances from the blood. If possible, the liver converts them to substances that can be easily eliminated from the body. It also manufactures and exports important substances used by the rest of the body. For example, the liver makes bile, a greenish-brown fluid which is essential for digestion. Bile is stored in the gallbladder which, after eating, contracts and discharges bile into the intestine, where it aids digestion. Many drugs taken to treat diseases are also chemically modified by the liver. These changes govern the drug's activity in the body.

Your liver helps you by:

:> Producing quick energy when it is needed;

:> Manufacturing new body proteins;

:> Preventing shortages in body fuel by storing certain vitamins, minerals, and sugars;

:> Regulating transport of fat stores;

:> Regulating blood clotting;

:> Aiding in the digestive process by producing bile;

:> Controlling the production and excretion of cholesterol;

:> Neutralizing and destroying poisonous substances;

:> Metabolizing alcohol;

:> Monitoring and maintaining the proper level of many chemicals and drugs in the blood;

:> Cleansing the blood and discharging waste products into the bile;

:> Maintaining hormone balance;

:> Serving as the main organ of blood formation before birth;

:> Helping the body resist infection by producing immune factors and by removing bacteria from the bloodstream;

:> Regenerating its own damaged tissue; and

:> Storing iron.

Trouble signs of liver :

Here are some signs of liver trouble. If you experience any of these symptoms, please contact your doctor:

:> Yellow discoloration of the skin or eyes.

:> Abdominal swelling or severe abdominal pain.

:> Prolonged itching of the skin.

:> Very dark urine or pale stools-, or the passage of bloody or tar-like stools.

:> Chronic fatigue, nausea or loss of appetite.

Eat for health :

:> Since everything we eat must pass through the liver, special attention to nutrition and diet can help keep your liver healthy. Here are some tips on eating for health healthy liver, healthy you!

:> Eat a well balanced, nutritionally adequate diet. If you enjoy foods from each of the four food groups, you will probably obtain the nutrients you need.

:> Cut down on the amount of deep-fried and fatty foods you and your family consume. Doctors believe that the risk of gallbladder disorders (including gallstones, a liver-related disease) can be reduced by avoiding high-fat and cholesterol foods.

:> If you already have liver disease, minimize your consumption of smoked, cured and salted foods. Taste your food before adding salt! Or try alternative seasonings in your cooking such as lemon juice, onion, vinegar, garlic, pepper, mustard, cloves, sage or thyme.

:> MEAT, FISH, POULTRY & ALTERNATIVES PROVIDE:
protein, vitamin A, iron, vitamin B12, niacin, thiamin

:> BREADS AND CEREALS PROVIDE:
carbohydrates, niacin, thiamin, iron, riboflavin, fiber

:> FRUITS AND VEGETABLES PROVIDE:
vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, fiber, folic acid

:> MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS PROVIDE:
calcium, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin D

:> Increase your intake of high-fiber foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, rice and cereals. A high-fiber diet is especially helpful in keeping your liver healthy.

:> Rich desserts, snacks and drinks are high in calories because of the amount of sweetening (and often fat) they contain. Why not munch on some fruit instead?

:> Keep your weight close to ideal. Medical researchers have established a direct correlation between obesity and the development of gallbladder disorders. Also, those who are overweight or have diabetes are at increased risk for a form of potentially serious liver disease called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

:> If you are dieting to lose weight, make sure that you are still getting all the vitamins and minerals your body - and your liver! - need to function properly

:> A regular exercise routine, two or three days a week, will help keep your liver healthy, too.

Liver health tips :

:> Avoid taking unnecessary medications (Too many chemicals can harm your liver.)

:> Don't mix medicines without the advice of a doctor. (You could create something poisonous that could damage your liver badly.)

:> Don't drown your liver in beer, liquor or wine. (If you drink alcohol, have two or fewer drinks per day.)

:> Never mix alcohol with other drugs & medications.

:> Use caution and common sense regarding intimate contact (Hepatitis viruses live in body fluids, including blood and seminal fluid.)

:> Hepatitis C, spread primarily through direct blood contact, can be transmitted through contaminated needles used in drug injection.

:> Many infected people do not have symptoms until liver damage occurs, sometimes many years after being infected.

:> Never, ever, touch a discarded syringe or needle.

**shadenights** · 10th October 2007, 02:35 PM

Great info

u r really posting great posts thanks for every post

**Bunny** · 13th October 2007, 08:32 PM

thank u very much shade

u r also doing a great job in maksazone

i am proud of u

14th May 2007, 03:41 PM	#1 (permalink)
Bunny Global Moderator Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Somewhere Posts: 1,910	All About Liver Function And Damage *Liver Anatomy :* *Introduction of Liver :* Your liver, the largest organ in your body, plays a vital role in regulating life processes. This complex organ performs many functions essential to life. You simply cannot live without it. The liver is located behind the lower ribs on the right side of your abdomen. It weighs about 3 pounds and is roughly the size of a football. Your liver plays a key role in converting food into essential chemicals of life. All of the blood that leaves the stomach and intestines must pass through the liver before reaching the rest of the body. The liver is thus strategically placed to process nutrients and drugs absorbed from the digestive tract into forms that are easier for the rest of the body to use. In essence, the liver can be thought of as the body's refinery. Your liver plays a principal role in removing toxic substances from the blood. If possible, the liver converts them to substances that can be easily eliminated from the body. It also manufactures and exports important substances used by the rest of the body. For example, the liver makes bile, a greenish-brown fluid which is essential for digestion. Bile is stored in the gallbladder which, after eating, contracts and discharges bile into the intestine, where it aids digestion. Many drugs taken to treat diseases are also chemically modified by the liver. These changes govern the drug's activity in the body. *Your liver helps you by:* :> Producing quick energy when it is needed; :> Manufacturing new body proteins; :> Preventing shortages in body fuel by storing certain vitamins, minerals, and sugars; :> Regulating transport of fat stores; :> Regulating blood clotting; :> Aiding in the digestive process by producing bile; :> Controlling the production and excretion of cholesterol; :> Neutralizing and destroying poisonous substances; :> Metabolizing alcohol; :> Monitoring and maintaining the proper level of many chemicals and drugs in the blood; :> Cleansing the blood and discharging waste products into the bile; :> Maintaining hormone balance; :> Serving as the main organ of blood formation before birth; :> Helping the body resist infection by producing immune factors and by removing bacteria from the bloodstream; :> Regenerating its own damaged tissue; and :> Storing iron. *Trouble signs of liver :* Here are some signs of liver trouble. If you experience any of these symptoms, please contact your doctor: :> Yellow discoloration of the skin or eyes. :> Abdominal swelling or severe abdominal pain. :> Prolonged itching of the skin. :> Very dark urine or pale stools-, or the passage of bloody or tar-like stools. :> Chronic fatigue, nausea or loss of appetite. *Eat for health :* :> Since everything we eat must pass through the liver, special attention to nutrition and diet can help keep your liver healthy. Here are some tips on eating for health healthy liver, healthy you! :> Eat a well balanced, nutritionally adequate diet. If you enjoy foods from each of the four food groups, you will probably obtain the nutrients you need. :> Cut down on the amount of deep-fried and fatty foods you and your family consume. Doctors believe that the risk of gallbladder disorders (including gallstones, a liver-related disease) can be reduced by avoiding high-fat and cholesterol foods. :> If you already have liver disease, minimize your consumption of smoked, cured and salted foods. Taste your food before adding salt! Or try alternative seasonings in your cooking such as lemon juice, onion, vinegar, garlic, pepper, mustard, cloves, sage or thyme. :> MEAT, FISH, POULTRY & ALTERNATIVES PROVIDE: protein, vitamin A, iron, vitamin B12, niacin, thiamin :> BREADS AND CEREALS PROVIDE: carbohydrates, niacin, thiamin, iron, riboflavin, fiber :> FRUITS AND VEGETABLES PROVIDE: vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, fiber, folic acid :> MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS PROVIDE: calcium, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin D :> Increase your intake of high-fiber foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, rice and cereals. A high-fiber diet is especially helpful in keeping your liver healthy. :> Rich desserts, snacks and drinks are high in calories because of the amount of sweetening (and often fat) they contain. Why not munch on some fruit instead? :> Keep your weight close to ideal. Medical researchers have established a direct correlation between obesity and the development of gallbladder disorders. Also, those who are overweight or have diabetes are at increased risk for a form of potentially serious liver disease called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. :> If you are dieting to lose weight, make sure that you are still getting all the vitamins and minerals your body - and your liver! - need to function properly :> A regular exercise routine, two or three days a week, will help keep your liver healthy, too. Liver health tips : :> Avoid taking unnecessary medications (Too many chemicals can harm your liver.) :> Don't mix medicines without the advice of a doctor. (You could create something poisonous that could damage your liver badly.) :> Don't drown your liver in beer, liquor or wine. (If you drink alcohol, have two or fewer drinks per day.) :> Never mix alcohol with other drugs & medications. :> Use caution and common sense regarding intimate contact (Hepatitis viruses live in body fluids, including blood and seminal fluid.) :> Hepatitis C, spread primarily through direct blood contact, can be transmitted through contaminated needles used in drug injection. :> Many infected people do not have symptoms until liver damage occurs, sometimes many years after being infected. :> Never, ever, touch a discarded syringe or needle. __________________

10th October 2007, 02:35 PM	#2 (permalink)
shadenights Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: me Posts: 5,543	Re: All About Liver Function And Damage Great info u r really posting great posts thanks for every post __________________

13th October 2007, 08:32 PM	#3 (permalink)
Bunny Global Moderator Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Somewhere Posts: 1,910	Re: All About Liver Function And Damage thank u very much shade u r also doing a great job in maksazone i am proud of u

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