Without love, your liver can’t “shine.” And shine it must. That’s because the liver is the body’s powerhouse, working to keep you on track in the way of health.
Not only does it break down nutrients, but it also filters harmful toxicities out of the body. Think of it like this: Every time you get a little tipsy at that favorite 5:00 happy hour, your liver is working behind the scenes to clean up the mess.
Here’s what you need to know about your liver -- and just how to keep it happy and healthy.
The liver is located on the upper right side of the abdomen just below the diaphragm and weighs in at more than three pounds.
The liver itself is a constantly working machine. Liver cells even have an intricate transportation system. Like an assembly line, tiny canals carry blood and bile all day long. Blood comes from digestive organs and travels by way of the portal vein to the liver. This blood contains nutrients, medications and even toxic substances.
Once the liver is reached, a Willy Wonka-like extravaganza takes place. These elements are processed, changed, detoxified or stored. And finally, the remaining substances are released to two different venues. They either go back into the blood, or they go into the bowel so that they can pass out of the system completely.
The liver also has an important assistant. That’s vitamin K. This vitamin helps the liver to create the proteins needed for blood to clot. The liver also breaks down old blood cells.