The liver your heaviest organ weighing in at around 1.5 kilograms has 500 vital functions incredibly it can maintain normal function with only 30% of its cells in working condition the liver consists of two main lobes each of which is composed of thousands of lobules in this video we're going to focus on some of the livers main functions the liver plays an important role in filtering blood at any given moment your liver contains about 13% of your blood volume well-oxygenated blood from the heart flows downward through the aorta which curves behind the liver it then travels up into the right and left hepatic arteries blood takes the return trip from the liver to the heart by exiting the hepatic vein and entering the inferior vena cava blood also enters the liver through the portal vein this blood comes from the gastrointestinal tract and contains toxins such as alcohol and drugs the liver detoxifies the blood so that the blood leaving by the hepatic vein is free of toxins however your liver filters out more than just toxins from your blood red blood.
cells begin their life cycle in the bone marrow they live around 120 days until they undergo hemolysis in the liver hemolysis occurs when cooked fur cells which are macrophages residing in the liver perform the to phagocytosis on senescent red blood cells these cooper cells also serve as part of your body's immune system cook for cells make up 80 to 90 % of your body's tissue macrophages and are activated when they sends bacteria or bacterial endotoxins upon activation they release various products including cytokines reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide all to defend the body you can also thank your liver the next time you get a paper cut the reason why you don't bleed to death is thanks to clotting factors which create a kind of natural band-aid many of these clotting factors are synthesized by the liver thanks to these clotting factors when a blood vessel is broken hemostasis which is the process that stops bleeding can occur your liver also plays a major role in digestion it helps digest fats by synthesizing bile and helps you absorb vitamins and minerals the gallbladder a pear-shaped organ that
sits under your liver is a bile reservoir hepatocytes within liver lobules produced bile small ducts connect lobules to larger ducts leading to the hepatic duct the hepatic ducts transports the produced file to the gall bladder which stores bile as well as the duodenum the portion of the small intestine closest to the stomach before a meal your gall bladder is full of this bile since it's just been accumulating without being released after a meal your gall bladder is much emptier the bile released helps to digest and absorb fats and fat-soluble vitamins your liver is also critical to the absorption of certain vitamins and minerals including vitamins A C D b12 e and k vitamin A is important for the maintenance of healthy skin a healthy urinary tract healthy lungs and healthy intestines deficits also lead to dry eyes more prone to infections vitamin C is important for the health of your teeth and gums as well as bone health and absorption of iron into blood vitamin D helps your body absorb phosphorus and calcium which is essential for your bones vitamin b12 is important for nerve and red blood cell functions vitamin E
is an antioxidant protecting your body from free radicals finally vitamin K protects your bones and helps your blood clot normally your liver also works in concert with your pancreas to maintain healthy blood glucose levels and keep your body appropriately energized maintaining healthy blood glucose levels is important because hypoglycemia or low blood sugar can result in these symptoms while hyperglycemia which can result from diabetes can result in these symptoms waking up after a long nights rest your body is in a fasted condition and your blood glucose is low to remedy this the pancreas secretes the hormone insulin into the blood when the insulin reaches the liver it breaks down glycogen a multi-branched polysaccharide down into glucose and it releases it into the blood hence restoring normal blood glucose levels let's say you went to your grandma's house and she had a delicious platter of baked goods your blood glucose levels are now going through the roof now your pancreas released a hormone glucagon into your bloodstream once your liver senses the increased levels of glucagon it
Starts absorbing the excess glucose in your bloodstream and converting it into glycogen, storing it thus will help you survive the horrid few hours of starvation until you get home and dig into a tub of ice cream hidden at the back of your freezer. Numerous other functions deliver, but those were some of the major ones to remember hope you enjoyed this lesson; if so, please like and subscribe to support me in making more videos. Also, please comment below if you have a topic you'd like me to cover
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