Notes

The liver detoxifies various metabolites, synthesizes proteins, and produces biochemicals necessary for digestion. Its other roles include the regulation of glycogen storage, decomposition of red blood cells, and the production of hormones. It is also the largest internal organ in the body.


The human liver is an organ and gland in the human body. It’s spongy, wedge-shaped, reddish-brown in color and about the size of a football. The size varies based on how tall you are and how much you weigh.

The liver is an essential organ, performing hundreds of functions necessary to sustain life. It's also a gland because it makes proteins and hormones that other parts of the body need.

Weighing, on average, about three pounds in an adult, the liver is the largest internal organ. Under normal conditions, the liver is located on the right side of the body, under the ribs. In a condition called situs inversus, the liver is located on the left side.

Issues related to the liver are called hepatic conditions. A medical professional who specializes in the liver is a hepatologist.


Albumin Production: Albumin is a protein that keeps fluids in the bloodstream from leaking into surrounding tissue. It also carries hormones, vitamins, and enzymes through the body.
Bile Production: Bile is a fluid that is critical to the digestion and absorption of fats in the small intestine.
Filters Blood: All the blood leaving the stomach and intestines passes through the liver, which removes toxins, byproducts, and other harmful substances.
Regulates Amino Acids: The production of proteins depend on amino acids. The liver makes sure amino acid levels in the bloodstream remain healthy.
Regulates Blood Clotting: Blood clotting coagulants are created using vitamin K, which can only be absorbed with the help of bile, a fluid the liver produces.
Resists Infections: As part of the filtering process, the liver also removes bacteria from the bloodstream.
Stores Vitamins and Minerals: The liver stores significant amounts of vitamins A, D, E, K, and B12, as well as iron and copper.
Processes Glucose: The liver removes excess glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream and stores it as glycogen. As needed, it can convert glycogen back into glucose.
Anatomy of the Liver
The liver is reddish-brown and shaped approximately like a cone or a wedge, with the small end above the spleen and stomach and the large end above the small intestine. The entire organ is located below the lungs in the right upper abdomen. It weighs between 3 and 3.5 pounds.



Structure
The liver consists of four lobes: the larger right lobe and left lobe, and the smaller caudate lobe and quadrate lobe. The left and right lobe are divided by the falciform (“sickle-shaped” in Latin) ligament, which connects the liver to the abdominal wall. The liver’s lobes can be further divided into eight segments, which are made up of thousands of lobules (small lobes). Each of these lobules has a duct flowing toward the common hepatic duct, which drains bile from the liver.

Parts
The following are some of the most important individual parts of the liver:

Common Hepatic Duct: A tube that carries bile out of the liver. It is formed from the intersection of the right and left hepatic ducts.
Falciform Ligament: A thin, fibrous ligament that separates the two lobes of the liver and connects it to the abdominal wall.
Glisson’s Capsule: A layer of loose connective tissue that surrounds the liver and its related arteries and ducts.
Hepatic Artery: The main blood vessel that supplies the liver with oxygenated blood.
Hepatic Portal Vein: The blood vessel that carries blood from the gastrointestinal tract, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen to the liver.
Lobes: The anatomical sections of the liver.
Lobules: Microscopic building blocks of the liver.
Peritoneum: A membrane covering the liver that forms the exterior.
Maintaining a Healthy Liver
The best way to avoid liver disease is to take active steps toward a healthy life. The following are some recommendations that will help keep the liver functioning as it should:

Avoid Illicit Drugs: Illicit drugs are toxins that the liver must filter out. Taking these drugs can cause long-term damage.
Drink Alcohol Moderately: Alcohol must be broken down by the liver. While the liver can moderate amounts, excessive alcohol use can cause damage.
Exercise Regularly: A regular exercise routine will help promote general health for every organ, including the liver.
Eat Healthy Foods: Eating excessive fats can make it difficult for the liver to function and lead to fatty liver disease.
Practice Safe Sex: Use protection to avoid sexually transmitted diseases such as hepatitis C.
Vaccinate: Especially when traveling, get appropriate vaccinations against hepatitis A and B, as well as diseases such as malaria and yellow fever, which grow in the liver.
Next Steps
If you need help for a liver condition, give us a call at (877) LIVER MD/ (877) 548-3763 or get in touch using our online request form.

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The liver is a large organ found in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen. It is a multifunctional accessory organ of the gastrointestinal tract and performs several essential functions such as detoxification, protein synthesis, bile production and nutrient storage to name only a few. It is the largest gland in the human body, weighing approximately 1.5 kilograms. It works synchronously with many other organs and contributes to the maintenance of basic homeostatic mechanisms.

The liver is completely covered by visceral peritoneum, with the exception of the bare area, which is where the liver is in contact with the diaphragm.