“Your liver performs more than 500 important functions, from filtering blood and processing nutrients to fighting infections. It creates bile and important proteins your body needs. You can’t live without a liver: If your liver fails, you’ll need an organ transplant to survive.

Your liver is the largest internal organ in your body and one of the only organs that can regenerate itself. The liver plays a crucial role in filtering blood, storing energy and producing bile for digestion.

Unfortunately, hundreds of diseases and conditions can damage your liver so it can’t work. Some of these can be life-threatening. Hepatologists, medical specialists who diagnose and treat liver disease, can treat and sometimes cure these diseases. And there are many things that you can do to keep your liver well and working as it should.

Your liver’s biggest job is filtering harmful substances and waste from your blood. Every day, your liver filters more than 250 gallons of blood. If that wasn’t enough, and among many other duties, your liver also:

• Makes cholesterol that your body uses in different ways
• Helps produce certain hormones, protects your cells and is a key ingredient in bile production
• Makes proteins — like clotting factors that manage bleeding and albumin, which manages fluid pressure in your bloodstream
• Helps keep your blood glucose levels steady by storing glycogen (glucose) and releasing it into your bloodstream to keep your blood sugar levels on an even keel
• Breaks down toxins and germs so they safely leave your body in your pee and poop
• Works by breaking down fats in your blood to produce energy, and if there are too many, they may get stored as extra fat.”

Cleveland Clinic (Liver: Where It’s Located, Function & Anatomy)