The liver is the largest gland in the human body and the largest digestive gland in the body. Bile is secreted, stored in the gallbladder and excreted into the small intestine, which does not contain digestive enzymes but can promote the digestion of fats.
The liver is arguably the largest synthesis factory in the human body, and it is carrying out a variety of complex biochemical reactions all the time. Therefore, the liver has a very heavy taskAccording to statistics, there are more than 500 chemical reactions that occur in the liver.
However, because the liver itself is very compensatory, when the body has some mild, small liver cells damaged, it may not show any symptoms. But it is precisely because of this,Sometimes, when the uncomfortable symptoms of the liver are clearly felt, in fact, more than 80% of the liver cells are damaged! Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to the health of the liver and the "distress signals" sent by the liver!
Structure and function of the liver
Liver (liver), the name of a human organ, is one of the five internal organs. It is an organ in the vertebrate body that mainly has metabolic functions, and plays a full role in the body for deoxidation, storage of liver sugar, secretory protein synthesis and so on. The liver also produces bile in the digestive system. Most liver diseases have symptoms of jaundice, which is caused by the liver not being able to continue to excrete bilirubin, so it accumulates in the body. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the liver and gallbladder are the inside and outside, opening the eyes to the eyes, and the liver mainly stores blood and drains it, and has the function of storing and regulating blood. "Su Wen: The Generation of the Five Organs": "The combination of the liver and the tendons is also, and its glory and claws are also." "The liver is also the general's officer, and the mastermind is worried.
1. Nutrient metabolism
1. Glucose metabolismThe starches and sugars in the diet are digested and turned into glucose, which is absorbed by the intestine and reaches the liver through the portal vein, where it is synthesized into liver glycogen and stored.
2. Protein metabolismThe amino acids absorbed by the digestive tract are used in the liver for protein synthesis, deamination, and transamination, and protein is synthesized for the use of various organs and tissues of the body.
3. Fat metabolism:The synthesis and release of fats, the decomposition of fatty acids, the production and oxidation of ketone bodies, the synthesis of cholesterol and phospholipids, and the synthesis and transport of lipoproteins are all carried out in the liver.
4. Vitamin metabolism95 Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the liver, and the bile salts secreted by the liver can promote the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and are stored in the liver. Abnormalities in vitamin metabolism occur when the liver is visibly damaged.
5. Hormone metabolism:The liver is involved in the inactivation of hormones, and when the liver function is damaged for a long time, estrogen inactivation disorders, aldosterone and antidiuretic hormone inactivation disorders can occur, resulting in hormonal imbalances, menstrual irregularities, gynecomastia or edema in women.
2. Secretion of bile
The uptake, binding and excretion of bilirubin, the production and excretion of bile acids are all undertaken by the liver. The bile produced and secreted by liver cells (the liver can produce about 500 to 1200 ml of bile per day) is transported through the bile ducts to the gallbladder, which is concentrated and discharged into the small intestine to help the digestion and absorption of fat.
3. Detoxification
All toxins that enter the body need to be metabolized, processed, and transformed by the liver before being excreted by the body. In the process of metabolism of the body, the portal vein collects blood from the abdominal cavity, and the harmful substances and microbial antigenic substances in the blood will be processed in the liver into less toxic or soluble substances, which are excreted with bile or urine, thereby protecting the body from damage.
4. Immune defense
The liver is the largest reticuloendothelial cell phagocytic system, which engulfs, sequesters, and eliminates invading foreign bodies, bacteria, dyes, and other particulate matter and endogenous antigens.
5. Regulate blood volume
The liver is a large blood reservoir in the body, which can provide a portion of blood when needed to maintain sufficient circulating blood volume for the body. Almost all clotting factors are made by the liver, which plays an important regulatory role in the homeostasis of the body's coagulation and anticoagulation systems. The severity of liver function destruction is often parallel to the degree of coagulation disorder, and it is common in clinical practice that some patients with liver cirrhosis may have bleeding or even death due to liver failure.
6. Regeneration function
Also known as "compensatory function". Animal experiments have proved that when the liver is removed for 70-80 years, it does not show obvious physiological disorders. Moreover, the residual liver can grow to its original size in 3 weeks to 8 weeks, which indicates that the liver has a regenerative function, and it is precisely because of this strong compensatory ability that the liver has no obvious symptoms in the early stage of liver damage, and once it appears, it is already a relatively serious injury.
Common diseases of the liver
Liver disease refers to lesions that occur in the liver. It is a common and extremely harmful disease. China is a big country with liver disease, and the number of hepatitis B virus carriers alone is 1There are about 200 million people, 30 million people with chronic hepatitis B, and about 55% of the world's liver cancer casesCommon liver diseases are hepatitis B and C, followed by fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, drug-toxic liver disease, liver cysts, liver hemangiomas, liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. These diseases are very harmful, and chronic liver diseases cause 2 million deaths worldwide every year, so it is necessary to take preventive measures against liver diseases.
Ways to protect your liver health
The liver is the largest gland in the human body, so liver health problems must be taken seriously. Here are some ways to protect your liver health:
1.Develop a healthy lifestyle, control emotions, avoid alcoholism, develop a good routine, pay attention to a healthy diet, strengthen exercise, and enhance physical fitness.
2.For viral hepatitis, it is necessary to pay attention to cutting off the source of infection, pay attention to personal hygiene, and avoid blood transmission.
3.For drug-induced hepatitis, follow the doctor's instructions and read the instructions of the drug to avoid taking drugs that damage the liver.
4.Patients with liver disease should be actively treated at an early stage** and controlled as soon as possible to delay or reduce the further progression of liver disease.
5. Dietary advice
After the doctor assesses the patient's eating and nutritional status, people without liver failure should eat light, easily digestible foods that are rich in vitamins and proteins.
Avoid alcohol:Most of the alcohol is metabolized in the liver, which can easily damage the liver and reduce the body's immunity.
Do not take medicine indiscriminately:Because most of the drugs are metabolized by the liver, try to avoid taking unnecessary drugs or health products to avoid increasing the burden on the liver; Stop taking medications that have potential liver toxicity.
6. Negative oxygen ions**
The human body absorbs an appropriate amount of negative oxygen ions, which can increase the activity of a variety of enzymes in the liver, repair the function of damaged liver cells, etc., effectively prevent liver disease and cancer. Negative oxygen ions can increase the activity of a variety of enzymes in the liver, such as esterase, catalase, etc. Repair the damaged liver cell function, increase their anti-toxin and detoxification ability, and can reduce blood sugar and cholesterol, reduce blood potassium content, etc. In addition, the antioxidant of negative ions** has very important clinical significance for body cell lesions and cell carcinogenesis. By regulating the acid-base balance and redox balance in the body, negative oxygen ions maintain the stability of the body's internal environment, promote the metabolism of normal cells, and reduce the damaging effect of toxic and harmful substances on the liver.