2 LOVE YOUR LIVER Chapter One Your Body’s Superhero Your liver is actually pretty simple and remarkably efficient. It consists of two main lobes—left and right—that are responsible for over 500 different functions. The liver’s most important tasks include helping the body to digest fats, regulating energy, and storing nutrient reserves. It also filters poisons and wastes from the blood and regulates the levels of many chemicals found in the bloodstream. But perhaps the most remarkable thing about the liver is that it’s the only organ that can grow new cells when some have been destroyed by some short-term injury or disease. The liver’s best-known role is that of garbage collector. In a world filled with toxins, it’s the liver’s job to breakdown the contaminants that come our way and get them ready to be escorted out of the body. Ideally, the liver could process all of the toxins we encounter. But because of the sheer volume of industrial chemicals and pollutants we are exposed to, the liver’s natural ability to detoxify can have trouble keeping up. Consider this:Today, baby boomers and those who were born after them are constantly bathed in a sea of chemical contaminants—from the air we breathe to the food we eat and the water we drink. We are exposed to toxins at home and at work through our carpeting, furniture, the paint on the walls, and the household products we use. If that weren’t enough, there are all those voluntary toxins from cigarettes, alcohol, junk food, medications, and personal care products. Other toxins, like free radicals and metabolic waste, are created internally just through the act of living.This constant barrage can make our livers vulnerable to a number of conditions that can ultimately undermine our overall health. The three most prevalent liver diseases are non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatitis, and liver cancer. Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) occurs when your liver has difficulty breaking down dietary fats, causing fat to build up in your liver tissue.While some people can have a fatty liver without any symptoms, others aren’t so lucky. Some folks can experience fatigue, pain in the upper right abdomen, and unexplained weight loss that can be a sign that the accumulation of fat has triggered inflammation and scarring in the liver.At its most severe, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can progress to liver failure. Today, baby boomers and those who were born after them are constantly bathed in a sea of chemical contaminants—from the air we breathe to the food we eat and the water we drink.