The Liver

The liver is one of the biggest organs in your body. It sits on the right side of your belly, under your ribs. The liver has hundreds of important jobs. It helps clean your blood and break down food.

What the Liver Does

The liver cleans bad stuff out of your blood. It makes a juice called bile that helps you digest fats. The liver also stores vitamins and sugar for later use. It turns food into energy your body can use.

A colorful model of the human liver.
A colorful model of the human liver. (Polygon data is generated by Database Center for Life Science(DBCLS) [2] / Wikimedia Commons)

Keeping Your Liver Healthy

Eating healthy foods helps your liver stay strong. Drinking lots of water also helps it do its job. The liver is special because it can grow back if part of it is hurt. Doctors can even take a small piece from one person to help save another.

Fun Facts

  • The liver can weigh around 3 pounds in adults.
  • It does more than 500 different jobs for your body.
  • The liver is the only organ that can grow back.

Did You Know?

If you lose up to 75 percent of your liver, it can grow back to normal size. This can happen in just a few weeks.