What are the Major Functions that the Liver Carries?

In order to understand the effects of chronic hepatitis on the over all health, first we need to know what functions the liver carries.

The liver has an abundant supply of blood, one-quarter of which comes from the liver artery. The Portal Vein supplies the other three quarters of blood and also carries oxygen, which collects nutrients from the intestine to be processed by the liver.

The liver is like a chemical factory, which performs over 500 different kinds of chemical reactions at any given moment. It is the largest organ of our digestive system and its functions can be roughly categorized in three major categories:

1.    Digestive function:
The liver cells continuously produce bilic acid and bile, which is a main digestive juice.  With it, the fat we receive from food can be digested and absorbed in the small intestines. Without bile, about 40% of fat we receive from foods will be lost in the stool and the fat-dissolvable vitamins cannot be absorbed. Bile is also the secretion of the liver, which excretes the toxins from the liver detoxification processes through bowel movement.

2.    Metabolic and synthetic functions:
1) Glucose metabolism: The liver regulates blood sugar level. When the blood sugar level increases after eating, it turns into glycogen and is stored in the liver.  When the blood sugar level decreases, the liver glycogen decomposed into glucose and is released into the blood to maintain the blood sugar level.  During chronic hepatitis, this function deteriorates; many patients see their blood sugar levels unstable.
2) Bilirubin metabolism: Generation of the bilirubin from the heme (the hemoglobin metabolites) and transportation of bilirubin to and through the liver cells and eventually delivery through the bile duck to the intestine. Over production, impaired transportation, blocked excretion, and over re-absorption in the intestine may result in jaundice.
3) Hormone metabolism: The liver deactivates hormones, especially the female hormones. When this function deteriorates, liver palm, spider mole, low libido, and male breast development are some of the possible long-term effects.
4) Fat metabolism: The synthesis and release of lipid, decomposition of fatty acid, the synthesis and transport of cholesterol, lipid-protein, are all done by the liver.
5) Protein synthesis: Albumin, blood clotting factors, globulin, enzymes are all synthesized in the liver. 6) Vitamin synthesis and transportation: Vitamin A, B, C, D and K are synthesized and transported in the liver.

3.   Detoxification:
The liver is one of the major detoxification organs in our body.
Exogenous and endogenous toxins are both being processed by the liver. In the liver, those toxic substances, including medicines, are detoxified and broken down and eliminated via bile secretion.     

The functions our liver carries are very important in keeping our good health.
It is one of the most sophisticated organs in the human body and when its functions are adversely affected due to Chronic Hepatitis, the treatment protocol must be broad and able to deal with many parts of the body that are indirectly affected by the liver.