Love Your Liver, Part 1
Ah, the liver. The lovely liver. The lovely, hard-working liver. The lovely, hard-working, large liver.
How large? Well, the functional unit of the liver is a 1-2 millimeter lobule, and each human liver contains 50,000 to 100,000 individual lobules.
How hard working? Well, aside from filtering 1000 milliliters of blood every minute, the liver plays a key role in carbohydrate metabolism, fat metabolism, protein metabolism, and vitamin storage. And — if that isn’t enough multitasking — the liver also does a lot of our detox heavy lifting, extracting and excreting not only any drugs we take into our bodies, but also the many natural substances produced by our bodies that must be excreted to avoid toxic accumulation.
How lovely? Well...OK, OK. Don’t gag. I’m NOT going there. But I do want you to take just a moment to appreciate your liver. It’s down there on the right side, by the way, tucked up under the ribcage. And while it may not meet everyone’s idea of beauty, there’s no doubt about its value.
Are you sure your liver is up to its many tasks? It’s a question that deserves serious attention, so…stay tuned.
How large? Well, the functional unit of the liver is a 1-2 millimeter lobule, and each human liver contains 50,000 to 100,000 individual lobules.
How hard working? Well, aside from filtering 1000 milliliters of blood every minute, the liver plays a key role in carbohydrate metabolism, fat metabolism, protein metabolism, and vitamin storage. And — if that isn’t enough multitasking — the liver also does a lot of our detox heavy lifting, extracting and excreting not only any drugs we take into our bodies, but also the many natural substances produced by our bodies that must be excreted to avoid toxic accumulation.
How lovely? Well...OK, OK. Don’t gag. I’m NOT going there. But I do want you to take just a moment to appreciate your liver. It’s down there on the right side, by the way, tucked up under the ribcage. And while it may not meet everyone’s idea of beauty, there’s no doubt about its value.
Are you sure your liver is up to its many tasks? It’s a question that deserves serious attention, so…stay tuned.
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