What is the function of the liver?
The liver performs hundreds of jobs. It filters toxins from the blood, makes bile to digest fat, stores energy and vitamins and produces proteins that help blood clot.
The liver is the largest internal organ, weighing about 1.5 kilograms in adults. It sits in the upper right side of the abdomen, under the ribs. All blood leaving the stomach and intestines passes through the liver, which processes nutrients and breaks down drugs, alcohol and other harmful substances.
It produces bile, which is stored in the gallbladder and helps digest fats. It stores glucose as glycogen and releases it when the body needs energy. It also makes important proteins, including albumin and clotting factors.
An organ that regrows
The liver can regenerate. If part of it is removed, the remaining tissue can grow back to nearly its full size within weeks. This makes living liver donation possible, where part of a healthy person's liver is transplanted.
Did You Know?
Heavy drinking, viral hepatitis and obesity are major causes of liver disease. Often there are no symptoms until the damage is advanced, so regular checkups matter.
This answer is general information, not medical advice. For a personal health question, talk to a doctor.