LIVEr for LIVEs

The liver is one of many vital organs, and especially vital for the digestive system; one, which you cannot live without. To understand more about the reason(s) why, let's go through the digestive process, shall we?

Watch the video below to get a preview of how the digestive system works.

Human Digestive System 

by:Apollo Hospitals Dhaka

The video also talks about how the nutrients are absorbed, however, I will not be focusing on that aspect. I want to focus mainly on how food goes from point A to point B. Let's take it step by step, according to a lecture from my teacher of the Health Pathway and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

1. Food is chewed in the mouth, which already starts to break down

2. Food is swallowed and goes down the esophagus

3. The food goes into the stomach, where the stomach muscles move the food around and the stomach acid (hydrochloric acid, very acidic by the way), breaks down the food

4. Broken down food goes through the small intestine (actual place where digestion takes place)

*FUN FACT #1* According to WebMD, the small intestine is approximately 20 feet long! All that is wrapped up tightly inside you! Can you believe that?!

5. Liver absorbs some of the nutrients, and also secretes bile, which digests fat

6. Further broken down food goes into the large intestine, also known as the colon, where water is absorbed into body

*FUN FACT #2* According to WebMD, the large intestine is approximately 5 feet long!

7.  Digested food from large intestine becomes fecal matter, which goes into the rectum, and out the anus, where people defecate.

A lot goes on to digest what you eat, doesn't it? Play the video again and try to see if you understand the process after watching it a second time.

But where does learning about the digestive process lead us? There is one vital organ that was mentioned earlier, that we cannot live without. That organ is the liver.

Why is the liver important to us, and in digestion? According to both American Liver Foundation and Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center, the liver is essential because it processes important nutrients for the body to absorb, as well as, breaking down harmful products that are in the bloodstream.

Furthermore, Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center states that the liver is the ONLY organ in the entire body that can regenerate itself. This is important when it comes to liver transplants because the liver can fully regenerate the portion that was lost, like nothing ever happened in the first place.

Liver transplants are widely needed in the United States. According to the American Liver Foundation, over 16,000 Americans are waiting for a liver transplant. The liver has many functions that the human body needs in order to properly function. Many of which includes digestion, getting rid of harmful substances in the blood. But, the liver is also susceptible to many diseases like hepatitis A, B, and C, and liver failure due to alcohol.

If you want to learn more about liver transplants and how you can save someone with a liver transplant, go to http://www.liverfoundation.org/ for information and resources.

The video below is a patient who received a liver transplant.

Miniclip of Liver Transplant Patient

by: Penn Medicine

 

Do you know someone who has gotten a liver transplant? Comment below and share your story with others.