The liver is an important organ. It has many functions that are important to the health of the body. Without it, the body can’t last long. The liver stores glycogen which is broken down to glucose and then released into the bloodstream. It also helps in processing fats and proteins. The liver acts as a workstation for the medicines a person takes in. It is also important in making an important acid called bile, which helps in digesting fats. It is the main organ responsible in removing poisons and toxins from the body, including alcohol.
Once alcohol is taken in the body, it is absorbed by the stomach and intestines and introduced into the bloodstream. Since the liver acts as a filter for the blood, the liver becomes the meeting place of all the alcohol that one takes in. Liver cells contain a chemical that processes alcohol and breaks it down into water and carbon dioxide. The alcohol is then expelled through urination and from the lungs, which is why alcohol can be detected through urine and breath tests. But these liver cells can only metabolize a certain amount of alcohol per hour. If a person drinks too much alcohol, the liver can no longer process it in time, thus increasing the alcohol levels in the blood stream.
Drinking too much alcohol causes a long list of trouble in the body, ranging from minor health conditions to deadly ones. Our liver can only process a small amount of alcohol. Anything in excess can cause a number of health risks such as alcoholic liver disease, stomach disorders, pancreatitis, heart muscle disease, high blood pressure, cancers of the mouth, gullet, liver, colon and breast, and alcohol addiction.
Tags: Alcohol Abuse, Alcoholism, liver damage, liver disease
