Since scientists started learning about the role our microbiome plays in all areas of wellbeing, we’ve been taking steps to give our guts plenty of TLC – from eating fermented foods to taking probiotic supplements. But there’s another equally vital organ within the digestive system that’s long been overlooked – the liver.
When we think of the liver, we think booze. We’re told that this organ is there to help ‘detox’ the body after a few too many glasses of wine. But while helping to clear the body of toxins (alcoholic or otherwise) is a crucial function of the liver, it has a whole lot more to offer our health and wellbeing.
The liver makes antibodies and proteins – vital for immune system function, says Professor Shahid Khan, consultant physician and professor of practice (hepatology) at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and The London Clinic. Plus, he adds, it produces clotting factors which stop us from continuously bleeding
