Eric & Steve's First Web Page - The Human Body

The

Liver

The liver lies just below the stomach in the lower abdomen. The liver is the center for the storage of vitamins and nutrients which were disolves and digested in the intestines. The nutrients are carried to the liver by two large veins. Blood passes through the liver at a rate of about 1.4 liters per minute. At any given time the liver cintains about 10% of all the blood in your body. The liver is divided into two main parts called lobes. The liver is protected by the bottom part of the ribs on the right side of your chest and the liver weighs between 3 and 4 pounds. Some people can get sick with a disease called Hepatitis. Hepatitis is an inflamation or swelling of the liver that can make you very sick. One kind of hepatitis is spread by people who have the disease spreading it to other people by cooking or serving food. The best way to avoid Hepatitis is to be sure you wash your hands after you go to the bathroom. Hepatitis can be cured, but you can get very sick. The liver also works to make bile. Bile is used to break down fats in the small intestine. The bile is stored in the gall bladder until it is needed to help digest the food you eat. If you eat a real fatty food like a hamburger and french fries your body will need more bile to help digest those fats than it would need in comparrison to a salad or some fruit. Some other diseases that can affect the liver are diabetes, cirrhosis and cancer.

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This page lasted edited on 03/31/98