Liver- Structure, Functions & General dietary Guidelines

INTRODUCTION

Even before you begin to explore the anatomy, functions and other imperative facets of liver, try to contemplate why you need to know or what made you to know about liver. If you have some similar questions raised in your mind like, what happens if my liver is in trouble or what could have damaged my liver or how can I mitigate my liver disorder, then probably you are at the right place. To begin with, liver is one of the most vital organ playing multiple pivotal roles in your food digestion, absorption, assimilation and excretion. To focus more on the predominant aspects of liver, I have broken the entire content into three divisions as liver structure, functions, and dietary guidelines. So lets get started.

LIVER STRUCTURE

Hepatocytes are the structural units of liver. Millions of these hepatic cells together forms each lobule. Numerous lobules together forms the lobes and also acts as the functional unit of the liver. Lobules are connected through small duct which together forms the hepatic duct. The hepatic duct combines with the cystic duct from gall bladder to form common bile duct through which the liver products are released into intestine. Liver is connected to two main blood vessels — hepatic artery & portal vein. The hepatic artery carries the oxygenated blood to the liver whereas the portal vein carries the ingested medicines or nutrients to the liver.

FUNCTIONS

1. Production of Bile: Liver assists the digestion process by releasing bile juice. Bile is an alkaline fluid, produced by liver and stored in gall bladder. Chemically bile is consists of bile acids, bile salts, water and other components which aids in lipid digestion. In addition to lipid digestion, bile help in digestion an absorption of fat soluble vitamins too — Vitamin A,D,E,K.
2. Metabolism: Liver plays an essential role in carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism. Liver is a site for several metabolic cycles like glycolysis, TCA cycle, glycogenolysis and others. The end products and by product of these metabolic cycles are responsible for the production of non essential amino acids, blood clotting factors and ATP generation.
3. Detoxification: Digestion and absorption of macro and micro nutrients result in accumulation of toxins. Liver helps remove these toxins through excretion. Ammonia is a metabolic waste produced by amino acid metabolism. Urea cycle also known as ornithine cycle is carried out in liver. It converts ammonia into urea. Urea is finally excreted through urine. Elevated ammonia levels can affect your central nervous system and hinder proper brain functioning.

LIVER DISORDERS

1. Liver cirrhosis: Liver cirrhosis which is characterised by scarring of tissue, causes improper functioning of liver. Prolonged effect can lead to liver failure. Several factors like alcohol addiction, fatty liver, genetic disorder, hepatitis infection can cause liver cirrhosis. Nausea, weakness, loss of appetite, swelling, jaundice, are some of the common signs and symptoms. If you observe these symptoms you should consult a hepatologist.
2. Non alcoholic fatty liver disease: As the name suggests, it is defined as the accumulation of fat in the liver. Diabetes and obesity are the major risk factors which can cause NAFLD. Increased carbohydrate intake induces glycolysis and TCA pathways releasing free fatty acids. Excess release of FFA or impaired beta oxidation can lead to fatty liver.
3. Hepatitis: Hepatitis can be defined as inflammation of liver which can worsen to liver cirrhosis or even liver cancer. Hepatitis can be caused due to hepatitis virus, some specific class of drugs or autoimmune disorder. Acute infection can be asymptomatic or in some cases jaundice, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain can be observed.

GENERAL DIETARY GUIDELINES

1. Avoid Smoking & alcohol: Regular smoking or consumption of alcohol can cause chronic liver inflammation. Toxins released due to smoking can cause cancer.
2. Low fat diet : It is essential to maintain your body weight under normal BMI. People who are overweight should follow a low fat diet and start a regular physical fitness regime to cut down the excess body weight. Accumulation of visceral fact is more alarming than subcutaneous fat, which means people with normal body weight should also get their lipid profile checked to understand their required dietary modifications. Monitoring HDL and LDL levels are equally important. Consuming good amount of soluble and insoluble fibre can help you get rid of excess cholesterol.
3. Sufficient liquid intake: Consumption of adequate amount of water every day can be helpful in several ways. The foremost purpose of water intake is elimination of body toxins and supply of oxygen. Most of the body toxins are eliminated either in the form or urine or sweat. Therefore the lost water should be timely replenished to avoid dehydration. Taking water profusely everyday can assist proper functioning of all the metabolic pathways, maintain muscle growth and aid gut health.
4. Monitoring blood glucose levels: As read above, availability of excess glucose to liver amplifies the formation of excess free fatty acids and can result in NAFLD. Replacing simple sugars with complex carbohydrates is the best way to cut down your sugar intake. Avoiding processed food and food items with preservatives should be the foremost step. Ask you dietician for a list of low glycemic index foods which will guide you in regulating your blood glucose levels. Meal planning and carbohydrate counting will pitch in managing your diabetes and keep see fatty acids formation at bay.