The liver is the body's built-in detoxifier, and without it, we can't function. The large, football-shaped organ is located in the right, upper part of the abdomen under the rib cage. The liver plays a role in many bodily functions, including removing waste, facilitating digestion, filtering the blood, and ridding the body of toxins.
"Basically, anything we put in our body — medications, alcohol, supplements, everything — needs to go through the liver," Dr Lisa Ganjhu, hepatologist and gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Health, tells TODAY.com. Nutrients from food are metabolized by the liver into amino acids the body needs, for example, says Ganjhu.
Liver enzymes break down alcohol and remove the toxins from the body. The liver is the only internal organ that is regenerative, meaning it can repair itself or regrow damaged or lost tissue. "There's a spectrum of liver disease, ranging from early stage reversible things to chronic issues to end-stage liver failure," Dr.
Shreya Sengupta, director of the Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease Program at Cleveland Clinic, tells TODAY.com. Liver disease can be caused by genetics, autoimmune diseases, metabolic disorders, bile duct blockages, viruses (such as hepatitis), alcohol abuse and obesity, the experts note.
Over time, liver disease can become chronic and lead to fibrosis, or a gradual stiffening of the liver due to buildup of scar tissue as the liver tries to repair itself from damage, per . Chronic liver disease can progress t.
