Diabetes 101 | the liver
Loving Your Liver
This busy organ is critical to health | By Erika Gebel, PhD THE LIVER IS LARGE and in charge. The dark reddish-brown organ sits in the upper right abdomen and, at about 3 pounds, is the largest one inside the body (the skin is the largest organ overall). The liver manages a dizzying array of tasks, including digesting fats, mak- ing and storing glucose, and serving as the body’s detox center. A malfunctioning liver may lead to the development of type 2 diabetes or worsen high blood glucose levels for those who already have the disease. Doctors know a lot about how the liver works, but not everything. The liver has myriad
functions; some experts think there may be 500. By no means an exhaustive account of
the liver’s doings, this article focuses on how it processes fat and carbohydrate from
what we eat.
Glucose Warehouse
The liver is an insulin-guided organ: Its behavior changes depending on the level of the
hormone insulin in the body and how sensitive the liver is to that insulin. After eating,
blood glucose levels rise, which in people without diabetes triggers the pancreas to release
