It ain’t sexy, like the heart or brain, but your liver works harder than your heart and lungs combined, maybe even your brain too. Most of us know little about the liver except that it detoxes. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
What’s the Big Deal About Your Liver?
Did you know that your liver is part of your digestive system, immune system and the largest gland in your body? It gets funkier… Your gut breaks down food into its component nutrients and it directly enters your bloodstream, making a beeline to your liver to be filtered. Experts say that it all passes through an extraordinarily fine filtering system, one molecule at a time! Your liver helps balance your blood nutrient levels, makes enzymes, vitamins, breaks down toxins, and about another 500 life-supporting functions around the clock!
DIRECTS ENERGY: During the filtering of blood after digesting your meal, your liver captures the glucose (your body’s fuel source) and decides how much to leave in your bloodstream for distribution at that time. The remaining glucose your liver stores as glycogen to release for energy when you’re fasting. So your liver is in charge of the cellular fuel for every cell in your body.
DETOXES: While capturing energy, it filters the blood from harmful substances, detoxing meds, drugs, bacteria, and viruses. It also cleans undigested food bits, toxins (pesticides, alcohol, preservatives, cigarette smoke agents, etc.), and ammonia as urea. That toxic waste is either returned to your bloodstream to be filtered and flushed by your kidneys through urine. Or the liver directs the waste into bile and sent to your gallbladder. The gallbladder stores bile until you eat and it’s released into your small intestine to help breakdown fats and snatch other waste for elimination as feces. How hard is your liver working to rid you of harmful toxins?
REGULATES BLOOD & CELLULAR NUTRIENTS: This ultra-complex organ also produces your blood proteins, cholesterol, and lipoproteins that support cell health. It regulates blood levels of amino acids (building blocks of proteins) and processes hemoglobin (red blood cells) for iron. It regulates blood clotting and clears bilirubin, a by-product of red blood cells. Your liver dictates the nutrient level needed of each in your blood to “feed” the building block cogs to every cell in your biological machine 24-7. It detects which cells need more vitamins or amino acids. And which require glucose to create the cellular fuel ATP (adenosine triphosphate) that powers every cellular reaction of your metabolism. But there’s so much more…
REGULATES IMMUNE FACTORS: Your liver is a frontline defender of harmful pathogens that enter your gut and bloodstream. It’s an important barrier, keeping you safe from the “outside” world. It also detects and regulates blood immunity markers (phagocytes) that fight blood bacteria. While the liver filters each molecule of digested food and macromolecule, it also decides whether it’s a friend or foe (food antigen). This determines whether to flip from immune-tolerant to anti-inflammatory status and go on the warpath. It can mount a rapid and robust immune response if it perceives an invader, which in our world is more-often-than-not. Excessive inflammation without a ceasefire and rest period leads to liver tissue damage and scarring. This severely weakens your immune system, leaving you vulnerable to chronic infection, poor wound healing, and cancer.
Isn’t that an eye-opener?
Liver-Boosting Foods
So, let’s get smart and help your liver. One of the best ways to repair, rebuild, and regenerate your health is nutrition. And as bizarre as this first suggestion sounds, the scientific research behind all of these are solid.
COFFEE: Researchers found that coffee prevents the buildup of fat and collagen, a sign of liver disease. Studies show it lowers the risk of cirrhosis (late stage of scarring or fibrosis) and death in people with chronic liver disease. Research also shows it reduces the risk of liver cancer, disease, and inflammation. Coffee boosts the antioxidant glutathione neutralizing damaging free radicals, thereby lowering inflammation. All that in a cup of joe?
BLACK & GREEN TEA: Studies found that Green tea improved blood markers of liver health and reduced the likelihood of developing cancer.Green tea can help people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Studies show that the high antioxidants improved liver enzyme levels, reduced oxidative stress and fatty deposits. Animal studies of Black tea extract showed it reversed many of the negative effects of a high-fat diet on the liver and improved its blood markers.
