“Liver function is necessary for regulating many of the body’s functions alongside the pancreas and gallbladder.” Without a properly functioning liver, it would be much harder to fight off infections and maintain a healthy immune system, so it’s essential to make sure that the liver stays free of toxins so that it can do what it’s designed for, which is remove toxins from the blood, produce bile to optimize food digestion, and filters proteins to make sure the rest of the body is receiving the right amount. But there’s much more to learn about liver function and how it helps keep other organs healthy. Here’s how your liver function can affect your overall health.
The Importance of Liver Function
Weighing 3 pounds, the liver is the largest organ in the body. It optimizes food digestion by producing bile and removing unnecessary blood toxins. However, it is also essential for other bodily processes. These complex processes generate fresh red blood cells and produce albumin to prevent the blood from mixing with other tissues, maintaining and regulating the amount of blood flow and filtering harmful chemicals and bacteria from the blood. The pancreas and gallbladder are essential contenders in these processes as well.
The pancreas joins the liver through the common bile duct and regulates digestion enzymes and the hormones that maintain blood sugar. These enzymes are a product of the pancreas, lipase, protease, and amylase, which promote healthy digestive processes. First is lipase, an enzyme in bile that breaks down fats and absorbs vitamins from the same fats. Next, protease is the enzyme that metabolizes proteins and filters out harmful bacteria and yeast in the intestines.
Last, amylase breaks down the molecules in carbohydrates to become sugars. The gallbladder connects the liver through the biliary tract and connects to the pancreas through small bile ducts connected to a smaller organ called the duodenum, which absorbs nutrients from bile to help digest food. The duodenum is essential for keeping the healthy because it filters out waste products that cause pancreatitis, gallstones, and cholecystitis.
How Alcohol Affects Liver Function
Suppose your liver cannot metabolize bile. The breakdown of amino acids and fat digest food, regulates blood sugar, and filters out toxins. In that case, the biliary tract that connects the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas will usually be unable to function normally. This would cause toxins to fill the body and contribute to liver disease, but liver disease can be caused by man-made toxins as well, so it’s essential to keep it as healthy as possible. For instance, if you drink alcohol in excess, it can cause alcohol-induced hepatitis.
Everything you eat or drink contains nutrients, and toxins like bacteria are filtered through it. Still, when alcohol passes through, it is not metabolized the same way as a natural toxin and poisons the biliary tract and respective system. Drinking too much alcohol affects the liver because it releases an amass of toxins and fats simultaneously, causing it to work in overdrive and, in more severe cases, shut down when it can no longer handle the toxins. Then inflammation occurs because the liver turns alcohol into fat and depletes cells and tissues, causing them to deteriorate.
Once deterioration begins, the liver fills with fluid that is partially responsible for the inflammation that makes up alcohol-induced hepatitis. This doesn’t mean it will happen to you if you have an occasional drink. The occasional drink is acceptable, and remember, alcohol metabolizes differently in those with different heights and body mass, so be careful not to consume too much accidentally. Ideally, it’s best to avoid alcohol consumption, and it is not healthy because, after all, it’s a toxin and slows overall function.
Optimizing Liver Function With Coffee
To keep liver function optimal, it is best to avoid toxins like drugs and alcohol, but some foods have the same effect, so it’s essential to ensure you eat the right things and exercise regularly. Eating right and exercising regularly will help maintain a healthy liver. Eating foods with excessive amounts of fats can cause weight gain and cause what is known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, so avoid saturated fats and foods that contain carbohydrates and sugars, like pasta and bread.
As hard as it may be, also try to prevent eating undercooked or raw sushi and replace it with foods that contain fiber, good fat, and dairy. Interestingly, a typical beverage we use to help us wake up in the morning, coffee, is the best choice for optimizing liver function, and here’s why. When caffeine is consumed, it is filtered out through the liver and turns into a chemical known as paraxanthine.
Paraxanthine neutralizes the amount of fat absorbed through the liver and keeps it healthy. It can also reduce scarring related to diseases like cirrhosis. Aside from paraxanthine, coffee contains other chemicals that are beneficial to helping those with hepatitis B and liver cancer. Chemicals like cafestol and kahweol are derivatives of coffee beans and reduce inflammation and fatty enzymes, so those with liver diseases can significantly benefit from grabbing a quick cup of coffee in the mornings.
Final Thoughts
The liver’s primary purpose is to work with organs in the biliary system, like the pancreas and gallbladder, to filter vitamins A,e, d, and k and rid the body of toxins and microbes that can cause the liver to break down. Consuming too many carbohydrates and foods with high-fat content can cause inflammation, so it is best to eat fruits, vegetables, grains, and things that are high in protein to keep it functioning normally and healthy. Exercising regularly, even if it’s as little as two times a week, can help too. So, get out there and pump out those toxins.
Disclaimer: This article provides information that does not replace physician advice. Please contact your doctor if you have any questions or concerns.
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