Hepatitis & Liver Diseases About the Liver

Located in the right side of the abdomen just below the diaphragm, the liver is the largest solid organ in the body. The liver is composed of two sections called "lobes." An average adult liver weighs between two and three pounds. The liver has many functions, controlling storage and concentration of nutrients such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, making proteins and clotting factors, and producing bile, a digestive compound. The liver also regulates the disposal of waste products and processes and filters poisons, toxins, medications, and bacteria from the blood. It is one of the few organs in the body capable of regeneration. A liver reduced to ¼ of its size can fully regenerate itself.