22/06/2017
Ganito ka importante ang liver niyo alagaan ng mabuti...
What Does the Liver Do? A lot more than you think.
The liver is one of the largest organs in the body, and has many important metabolic functions. The liver is usually associated with detoxification, but it is essential for numerous other vital functions.
It converts the nutrients in our diet into substances the body can use. It also stores many nutrients (ie. iron, copper, vitamin A) and compounds which are then supplied to the cells of the body when needed.
The liver produces proteins that, along with vitamin K, play an important role in blood clotting.
The liver is one of the organs that break down old and damaged blood cells.
The liver a central role in all metabolic processes in the body.
• In fat metabolism, the liver cells break down fat to produce energy. It also secretes bile into the small intestine to further aid in the breakdown and absorption of fats.
• In carbohydrate metabolism, the liver helps regulate blood glucose to keep it constant. After a meal when blood glucose is high, the liver can remove glucose from the blood and store it as as glycogen.
When blood glucose begins to decline, the liver can breakdown glycogen into glucose to release into the blood. The liver can also make new glucose from lactic acid and amino acids in a process known as gluconeogenesis. This is especially important in times of prolonged fasting.
Hormones in the pancreas, insulin and glucagon, direct these processes in the liver.
• In protein metabolism, the liver changes amino acids in food so they can be either used as energy, or made into carbohydrates and fats.
It converts toxic substances into harmless ones and makes sure they are released from the body – detoxification.
There are 3 primary pathways by which the liver detoxifies.
1. Filtering the blood to remove large toxins. A healthy liver clears almost 100% of bacteria and other toxins from blood before the blood enters general circulation.
2. Synthesizing and secreting bile for excretion of fat-soluble toxins and cholesterol. Bile serves as a carrier to eliminate toxic substances from the body. It also emulsifies fats and fat-soluble vitamins in the intestine, improving their absorption. When excretion of bile is inhibited (cholestasis), toxins stay in the liver longer, subjecting the liver to damage.
3. Enzymatically breaking down unwanted or toxic chemicals. This usually occurs in two steps, known as Phase I and Phase II.
Phase I detoxification involves up to 100 enzymes that detoxify both exogenous (drugs, pesticides) and endogenous (hormones that need to be cleared) compounds. A result of this metabolic activity is the production of free radicals and oxidative compounds.
Neutralizing these compounds requires glutathione, the most important antioxidant in both Phase I and Phase II detoxification.
If oxidative stress is too high, and there is not enough glutathione present during or after Phase I, Phase II processes that are dependent on glutathione are negatively affected or cease. Build-up of toxic intermediates and severe toxic reactions can occur as a result of this imbalance between Phase I and Phase II.
Phase II involves conjugation, or binding a protective compound to a toxin. This process requires many nutrients and metabolic energy to function. In addition to glutathione conjugation, other pathways are amino acid conjugation, methylation, sulfation, sufloxidation, acetylation, and glucuronidation.
To summarize, during Phase I chemicals are modified to make them an easier target for the Phase II enzyme systems, and important nutrients and balance are required for healthy function. Therefore, if the liver cells and detoxification systems are not working properly, the toxic intermediates linger and cause damage.
Be sure to check out tomorrow's post on Glutathione - The Amazing Detoxification Molecule You Might Not Know!