Your liver: An owner's guide

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Your liver: An owner's guide

Your liver performs hundreds of important functions. Find out how it works

and get some pointers on avoiding things that cause liver disease.

The liver is one of your body's largest and most important organs. Located

just under your rib cage on the right side of your abdomen, it's about the

size of a football, weighs 3 to 4 pounds and performs more than 500 vital

functions. Without it, you couldn't absorb food, remove toxic substances

from your body or stay alive.

Your liver is incredibly resilient. It can remain unctional after losing 80

percent to 90 percent of its cells to disease. It can completely regenerate

itself in a few weeks even if much of it has been removed during surgery.

But it's not indestructible. Toxins such as alcohol and drugs, and viruses

such as hepatitis B and C can cause permanent liver damage. With advanced

liver disease (cirrhosis), healthy liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue

and your liver is no longer able to repair itself, gradually losing function

and eventually failing. Although early-stage liver disease is more treatable

now than in the past, cirrhosis is usually only curable with a liver

transplant.

Your liver: A brief anatomy lesson

Liver anatomy

A healthy liver is cone-shaped, with a smooth, rubbery texture. Its color is

dark reddish-brown because at any given moment it holds a pint of blood.

It's divided into lobes: a large right lobe and smaller left lobe that

tapers toward a tip. Unlike most other organs in your body, your liver has a

dual blood supply. Most of its blood comes from the portal vein, which

carries nutrients and toxins from your digestive system. The rest comes from

the hepatic artery, which supplies oxygen-rich blood from your heart.

Everything you eat, drink, breathe and absorb through your skin eventually

reaches your liver. Its 300 billion cells control a process called

metabolism, in which your liver breaks down nutrients into usable

byproducts. These byproducts are delivered to the rest of your body by your

bloodstream. Your liver also metabolizes toxins into byproducts that can be

safely eliminated. Some of these byproducts are routed into your bloodstream

and carried to your kidneys, which filter them so that they can be excreted

in urine. Others are carried away by bile, a yellow or greenish fluid

produced by your liver. These byproducts flow through bile ducts to your

gallbladder and intestines so that they can be excreted in feces.

What your liver does

Although separating nutrients from waste is one of your liver's most

important functions, it's not the only one. Your liver is also a storage

depot for sugar (glucose), which is released when you need energy. And it's

a chemical factory, producing many substances that perform vital tasks in

your body. Some substances produced by the liver include:

Albumin, a protein that regulates the exchange of water between blood and

tissues

Bile, a fluid that carries away waste and digests fat in the small intestine

Cholesterol, a substance needed by every cell in the body

Clotting factors, which help stop bleeding

Globin, part of the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin in blood

Immune factors, which protect against infection

How to protect your liver

Normal and diseased livers

Excessive alcohol consumption over many years is the leading cause of liver

disease. Too much alcohol can make a normal liver swell with fat, causing a

condition called fatty liver. If the fat becomes inflamed, it can lead to

either alcoholic hepatitis, which causes serious but often reversible liver

damage, or cirrhosis, which causes irreversible liver damage. Because of

extensive scarring, a cirrhotic liver shrinks to a fraction of its former

size.

Here are the most important things you can do to protect your liver:

Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. Over many years, more than one drink

a day for women and more than two drinks a day for men may be enough to lead

to cirrhosis. Illegal drugs, especially cocaine, also can cause liver

disease.

Don't mix other drugs with alcohol. Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) can be

toxic to the liver even if you drink in moderation.

Get vaccinated against hepatitis B. If you're at increased risk of

contracting hepatitis or if you've already been infected with any form of

the hepatitis virus, talk to your doctor about getting the hepatitis B

vaccine.

Use medications wisely. Only use prescription and nonprescription drugs when

you need them and take only the recommended doses. Talk to your doctor

before mixing herbs or prescription or nonprescription drugs.

Beware of certain supplements. Herbal supplements that can be toxic to the

liver include kava, comfrey, chaparral, jin bu huan, kombucha tea,

pennyroyal and skullcap. Also avoid high doses of vitamins A, D, E and K.

Avoid contact with other people's blood and body fluids. Hepatitis viruses

can be spread by accidental needle sticks, improper cleanup of blood or body

fluids and sharing intravenous needles. It's also possible to become

infected by sharing razor blades or toothbrushes or by having unsafe sex.

Be careful with aerosol sprays. When you use an aerosol cleaner, make sure

the room is ventilated, or wear a mask. Take similar protective measures

when spraying insecticides, fungicides, paint and other toxic chemicals.

Watch what gets on your skin. When using insecticides and other toxic

chemicals, cover your skin with gloves, long sleeves, a hat and a mask.

Don't eat too many fatty foods. Your liver makes all the cholesterol your

body needs. Eating a well-balanced, nourishing diet will help your liver do

its job properly. A regular exercise program will help keep your liver

healthy, too.

Watch your weight. Even if you don't drink alcohol, obesity can cause a

condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which may include fatty

liver, hepatitis and cirrhosis.

See your doctor if you develop any signs or symptoms of liver disease. These

include yellow discoloration of the skin or eyes, abdominal swelling or

severe abdominal pain, prolonged itching of the skin, very dark urine or

pale stools, the passage of bloody or tar-like stools, chronic fatigue,

nausea and loss of appetite.

Looking ahead

In the future, liver disease treatments may include genetic therapy, as well

as new vaccines and antiviral drugs to prevent and treat hepatitis C and

other hepatitis viruses that cause permanent liver damage. Researchers are

also working to develop an artificial liver that performs the liver's

filtering functions, just as dialysis filters blood in people with kidney

failure.

For now, though, the best way to control liver disease is to keep it from

starting. By being careful with alcohol, drugs and chemicals, you can ensure

that your liver lasts a lifetime.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/liver/DG00038

_________________________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

Your liver: An owner's guide

Your liver performs hundreds of important functions. Find out how it works

and get some pointers on avoiding things that cause liver disease.

The liver is one of your body's largest and most important organs. Located

just under your rib cage on the right side of your abdomen, it's about the

size of a football, weighs 3 to 4 pounds and performs more than 500 vital

functions. Without it, you couldn't absorb food, remove toxic substances

from your body or stay alive.

Your liver is incredibly resilient. It can remain unctional after losing 80

percent to 90 percent of its cells to disease. It can completely regenerate

itself in a few weeks even if much of it has been removed during surgery.

But it's not indestructible. Toxins such as alcohol and drugs, and viruses

such as hepatitis B and C can cause permanent liver damage. With advanced

liver disease (cirrhosis), healthy liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue

and your liver is no longer able to repair itself, gradually losing function

and eventually failing. Although early-stage liver disease is more treatable

now than in the past, cirrhosis is usually only curable with a liver

transplant.

Your liver: A brief anatomy lesson

Liver anatomy

A healthy liver is cone-shaped, with a smooth, rubbery texture. Its color is

dark reddish-brown because at any given moment it holds a pint of blood.

It's divided into lobes: a large right lobe and smaller left lobe that

tapers toward a tip. Unlike most other organs in your body, your liver has a

dual blood supply. Most of its blood comes from the portal vein, which

carries nutrients and toxins from your digestive system. The rest comes from

the hepatic artery, which supplies oxygen-rich blood from your heart.

Everything you eat, drink, breathe and absorb through your skin eventually

reaches your liver. Its 300 billion cells control a process called

metabolism, in which your liver breaks down nutrients into usable

byproducts. These byproducts are delivered to the rest of your body by your

bloodstream. Your liver also metabolizes toxins into byproducts that can be

safely eliminated. Some of these byproducts are routed into your bloodstream

and carried to your kidneys, which filter them so that they can be excreted

in urine. Others are carried away by bile, a yellow or greenish fluid

produced by your liver. These byproducts flow through bile ducts to your

gallbladder and intestines so that they can be excreted in feces.

What your liver does

Although separating nutrients from waste is one of your liver's most

important functions, it's not the only one. Your liver is also a storage

depot for sugar (glucose), which is released when you need energy. And it's

a chemical factory, producing many substances that perform vital tasks in

your body. Some substances produced by the liver include:

Albumin, a protein that regulates the exchange of water between blood and

tissues

Bile, a fluid that carries away waste and digests fat in the small intestine

Cholesterol, a substance needed by every cell in the body

Clotting factors, which help stop bleeding

Globin, part of the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin in blood

Immune factors, which protect against infection

How to protect your liver

Normal and diseased livers

Excessive alcohol consumption over many years is the leading cause of liver

disease. Too much alcohol can make a normal liver swell with fat, causing a

condition called fatty liver. If the fat becomes inflamed, it can lead to

either alcoholic hepatitis, which causes serious but often reversible liver

damage, or cirrhosis, which causes irreversible liver damage. Because of

extensive scarring, a cirrhotic liver shrinks to a fraction of its former

size.

Here are the most important things you can do to protect your liver:

Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. Over many years, more than one drink

a day for women and more than two drinks a day for men may be enough to lead

to cirrhosis. Illegal drugs, especially cocaine, also can cause liver

disease.

Don't mix other drugs with alcohol. Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) can be

toxic to the liver even if you drink in moderation.

Get vaccinated against hepatitis B. If you're at increased risk of

contracting hepatitis or if you've already been infected with any form of

the hepatitis virus, talk to your doctor about getting the hepatitis B

vaccine.

Use medications wisely. Only use prescription and nonprescription drugs when

you need them and take only the recommended doses. Talk to your doctor

before mixing herbs or prescription or nonprescription drugs.

Beware of certain supplements. Herbal supplements that can be toxic to the

liver include kava, comfrey, chaparral, jin bu huan, kombucha tea,

pennyroyal and skullcap. Also avoid high doses of vitamins A, D, E and K.

Avoid contact with other people's blood and body fluids. Hepatitis viruses

can be spread by accidental needle sticks, improper cleanup of blood or body

fluids and sharing intravenous needles. It's also possible to become

infected by sharing razor blades or toothbrushes or by having unsafe sex.

Be careful with aerosol sprays. When you use an aerosol cleaner, make sure

the room is ventilated, or wear a mask. Take similar protective measures

when spraying insecticides, fungicides, paint and other toxic chemicals.

Watch what gets on your skin. When using insecticides and other toxic

chemicals, cover your skin with gloves, long sleeves, a hat and a mask.

Don't eat too many fatty foods. Your liver makes all the cholesterol your

body needs. Eating a well-balanced, nourishing diet will help your liver do

its job properly. A regular exercise program will help keep your liver

healthy, too.

Watch your weight. Even if you don't drink alcohol, obesity can cause a

condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which may include fatty

liver, hepatitis and cirrhosis.

See your doctor if you develop any signs or symptoms of liver disease. These

include yellow discoloration of the skin or eyes, abdominal swelling or

severe abdominal pain, prolonged itching of the skin, very dark urine or

pale stools, the passage of bloody or tar-like stools, chronic fatigue,

nausea and loss of appetite.

Looking ahead

In the future, liver disease treatments may include genetic therapy, as well

as new vaccines and antiviral drugs to prevent and treat hepatitis C and

other hepatitis viruses that cause permanent liver damage. Researchers are

also working to develop an artificial liver that performs the liver's

filtering functions, just as dialysis filters blood in people with kidney

failure.

For now, though, the best way to control liver disease is to keep it from

starting. By being careful with alcohol, drugs and chemicals, you can ensure

that your liver lasts a lifetime.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/liver/DG00038

_________________________________________________________________

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE!

http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/