The amazing human liver

BETA

artiteacher Sort nutrients and toxins to discover how the liver runs your body's chemical factory.

artiteacher The digestive power plant

Just a fraction, heals itself, strong again!

artiteacher How the liver manages glycogen stores

Recycling old red blood cells into bilirubin

artiteacher The liver recycles worn-out red blood cells and turns them into useful digestive pigments.

artiteacher The liver keeps blood sugar levels steady by storing and releasing glucose as needed.

Fun Fact

Bile color: Bile is actually golden-yellow, but it turns green in the intestines due to chemical changes by bacteria.

Glossary

bile (noun)
A bitter greenish-brown alkaline fluid secreted by the liver that aids in the digestion of dietary fats. German chemist Heinrich Wieland won the 1927 Nobel Prize for investigating the structure of bile acids.

Gossip

What is your absolute favorite way to refuel your body's energy?

Quiz

The liver converts excess blood glucose into which storage molecule?

artiteacher The green digestive juice called bile

Quiz

What yellowish pigment is created when the spleen breaks down old red blood cells?

artiteacher Recycling old red blood cells into bilirubin

Quiz

Approximately how much bile does a healthy human liver produce each day?

artiteacher Generating metabolic heat to warm the body

Quiz

How does the liver contribute to maintaining the body's core temperature?

Quiz

When blood sugar levels drop, what does the liver convert glycogen back into?

Quiz

Where is the bile produced by the liver stored before it is used in digestion?

Quiz

Which bitter, green-yellow digestive fluid is produced by the liver?

Quiz

What is the main function of liver-produced bile in the small intestine?