Liver
Functions and facts about the Liver:
- The liver is the largest and heaviest internal organ of the human body
- Bile is the main contributor in the liver when regarding digestion (the liver produces it). Bile is mostly made up of bile salts
- Bile salts have a hydrophobic side and a hydrophilic side. As the bile slats surround the drops of fat the hydrophobic side faces the fat emulsify it
- This bile is used to break down fats because fats are insoluble in water-based solutions, which are used in the stomach andf intestines
- Lipases are partly soluble in water and partly soluble in fats so they are used to break down the drops of fat that were brought into the liver in the watery chyme (chyme: a mass of partly digested food)
- The liver plays a large role in eliminating toxins (ie. alcohol) from the body as it aids in the detoxification in blood
- In the liver there is the conversion of galactose and fructose to glucose.