Organ2 min read
Liver
Hepar
A large organ in the upper right abdomen that makes bile for fat digestion and stores and delivers nutrients.
The liver receives blood coming from the intestines laden with nutrients, processes them, stores some and releases them when needed. It makes important proteins such as albumin, and secretes bile, which is stored in the gallbladder. This is why liver function tests measure substances such as albumin, bilirubin and enzymes.
Liver function is affected by multiple diseases: metabolism-related fat build-up, viral infections, and alcohol. With continued injury the tissue may gradually scar until cirrhosis. Raised liver enzymes on a test are a sign of cell injury, not a diagnosis in themselves.
What and where is it?
The liver lies in the upper right of the abdomen under the diaphragm, and is part of the digestive system, with the gallbladder beneath it.
What it does
- It makes bile, which helps digest fats.
- It processes, stores and distributes nutrients coming from the intestines.
- It makes important proteins such as albumin.
Links to other organs
- The pancreas
- The bile duct meets the pancreatic duct near the duodenum, and the liver responds to the hormones insulin and glucagon.
- The intestines
- Bile flows into them, and from them nutrient-laden blood reaches the liver.
Conditions that affect it
Tests used to study it
Keeping it healthy
- Maintaining a healthy weight, because fatty liver is linked to overweight and diabetes.
- Vaccination against hepatitis B.
- Limiting alcohol, and not taking medicines or supplements at doses higher than written in their leaflet.
When do you need urgent help?
Get urgent care today
- Yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes, or very dark urine with pale stools.6
Educational content only — no diagnosis, and no substitute for a clinician.
References
- 1NIDDK / NIH. Your Digestive System & How It Works. www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/digestive-system-how-it-worksHealth agencies & guidelines · Accessed 2026-10-11
- 2NCI SEER Training. Regions of the Digestive System. training.seer.cancer.gov/anatomy/digestive/regions/Educational & historical references · Accessed 2026-10-04
- 3MedlinePlus / NLM. Liver Function Tests. medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/liver-function-tests/Health agencies & guidelines · Accessed 2026-10-04
- 4NIDDK / NIH. Pancreatitis. www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/pancreatitisHealth agencies & guidelines · Accessed 2026-10-03
- 5NIDDK / NIH. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) / NAFLD. www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/liver-disease/nafld-nashHealth agencies & guidelines · Accessed 2026-10-04
- 6NIDDK / NIH. Viral Hepatitis. www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/liver-disease/viral-hepatitisHealth agencies & guidelines · Accessed 2026-10-04
- 7NIDDK / NIH. Cirrhosis. www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/liver-disease/cirrhosisHealth agencies & guidelines · Accessed 2026-10-04
- 8NIBIB / NIH. Ultrasound. www.nibib.nih.gov/science-education/science-topics/ultrasoundHealth agencies & guidelines · Accessed 2026-10-04
- 9WHO. Hepatitis B — Fact sheet. www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-bHealth agencies & guidelines · Accessed 2026-10-04
Review status: Edited content · Last updated:
Change log
- — Page created and linked to the 3D atlas.
Educational content only — no diagnosis, and no substitute for a clinician.