Liver Definition

Do you know the secrets about the human liver anatomy? Let’s learn it here. Skin is the largest organ. Whereas, liver is the largest internal organ and the largest gland in the human body. You may wonder "What is liver?" and what a purpose it serves. Precisely, it is one of the most fantastic organs of your body.

Being a glandular structure, it is a group of cells or tissues that secrete or excrete certain substances. However, these secretions have to do their job elsewhere in the body. The largest gland, liver also enjoys the distinction of being the h
ottest organ in your body.


The answer to “What does the liver do?” contains some interesting information. The human liver is, actually, a gland. There is broad classification of glands into two major groups i.e. endocrine and exocrine glands. Interestingly, liver belongs to both of these categories.

That is, it serves as both an endocrine gland as well as an exocrine gland. A normal liver weighs about 1.2 to 1.5 kg and performs both endocrine and exocrine functions. Studying the human liver anatomy, you will also come to know about its size.

Keep on reading this article about the human liver anatomy. Here, you will get useful and interesting information about the liver size, location, function, diseases and risk factors for liver disease.

The human liver size varies across gender. That is, it is bigger in size in male as compared with the one in females. The size of this gland is around 10.5 centimeters for men and about 7 centimeters for women. In the similar way, the weight of this organ is also different in different genders.

The largest internal organ, liver appears in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. It lies just beneath the right side of the diaphragm and under the right lower rib cage. Concerning human liver anatomy, there are eight functional segments in it.

Within a minute, approximately 1500 ml of blood flows through the liver. This is so to ensure its efficient working. Partly due to its ample blood supply, liver is the prime site for metastatic spread of cancer.