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May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
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Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
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Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
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May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
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Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
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The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
How the liver works
By
Marshall Brain
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
There is lots of talk these days about the gas tank in your car, especially when it comes to the cost of filling it up. But here's a question: Have you ever thought about the gas tank inside your body? Yes, each human being has a "gas tank". It's your liver. Let's take a look at how it works.
To understand your body's gas tank, we first need to talk about the fuel your body uses. The primary fuel is glucose. When you eat any carbohydrate, from bread to rice to potatoes to a sugary soft drink, your body chops the carbohydrate molecules up into individual sugar molecules and absorbs them into the bloodstream via the small intestine. When there is glucose pouring into the bloodstream after a meal, times are good.
But imagine that you are waking up in the morning. It's a new day, and you haven't eaten since dinner last night at 6. The food that you put into your stomach at supper got digested hours ago. But your body still needs glucose to operate. Your brain, for example, depends on glucose in the bloodstream to keep its neurons firing. This is one place where your liver steps in.
Your liver is largest internal organ that you've got, weighing about 3 pounds. One of its jobs is to keep your energy supply going when food isn't available. When your liver sees a surplus of glucose in the blood (for example, after a meal), it absorbs the excess and converts it to a starch called glycogen to store it. Then, when your body needs glucose (for example, as you are waking up in the morning after your nighttime fast), the liver converts the glycogen back to glucose and releases it into the bloodstream. Your liver "gas tank" holds approximately 12 hours worth of glycogen.
Once your liver runs out of glycogen, it has several other tricks up its sleeve to handle your body's energy needs. For example, your liver can convert amino acids to glucose if it needs to. It can also convert fatty acids into something called ketone bodies. Many cells can use ketone bodies as an alternative to glucose for energy. When you think about your body "burning fat", this is how it happens. The fat comes out of your fat cells and into the bloodstream as fatty acids. Your liver converts the fatty acids to ketone bodies and sends them out in the bloodstream. Some cells absorb the ketone bodies and use them for energy. Other cells can use the fatty acids directly.
Speaking of fat, your liver plays a big role in digesting fat. Imagine that you eat a plateful of greasy french fries. All of the fat from the fries makes its way into your small intestine, and now it needs to get digested. But oil and water don't mix. Your liver helps out by producing a greenish fluid called bile. The bile flows into the small intestine, and it helps to convert fat into a water soluble form. Think about soap - soap molecules are able to connect to fat molecules so they can dissolve in water. Bile works in a similar way to emulsify fats. Then other chemicals in the small intestine called lipases break the fat molecules down.
Another big job for the liver is to remove foreign substances from the bloodstream. For example, you may have noticed that you have to take most medicines every four to six hours. If you take aspirin, its effects wear off four hours later. It's the same for Tylenol, nicotine and most other drugs. The liver metabolizes all of these different drugs so that they get cleared out of the bloodstream.
Alcohol is another drug that the liver processes. However, if you drink too much alcohol, the liver gets overloaded. In the worst cases, heavy drinkers get cirrhosis of the liver, where sections of the liver die and turn into scar tissue. You can see how important the liver is. Once too much of the liver dies, it stops doing its many different jobs and the liver's owner dies as well.
The good news about liver disease is that, in some cases, your liver can recover. A liver transplant is also an option. A donor liver can come from someone who has recently had an accident, or by taking half of the liver out of a living donor. The other half of the liver regenerates in both the donor and the recipient. When successful, both donor and recipient end up with full-sized, completely normal livers.
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Previously:
How 3D movies work
How oil pipelines work
How jet packs work
How seismographs work
How Olympic technology works
How Personal Rapid Transit works
How 3G works
How the Global Position System (GPS) works
How octane works
How cruise missiles work
How submarines work
How miles work
How octane works
How food preservation works
How beer works
How holding your breath works
How smoke detectors work
How heat pumps work
How your night vision works
How concentrating solar collectors work
How your key fob works
How the common cold works
How the Large Hadron Collider Works
How making a TV show works
How dry cleaning works
How exoskeletons work
How an oil refinery works
How landfills work
How the Orion spacecraft works
The cutting edge in HDTV
Redefining the CD
How the HDMI cable scam works
How glow-in-the-dark toys work
How the subprime mortgage crisis works
How gift cards work
How Tasers work
How giant TV screens work
How foreclosure works
How Air Force One works
How wildfire fighting works
How vitamins work
How ejection seats work
How reattaching limbs works
How hot air balloons work
How paparazzi work
How counterfeiting works
How CDs work
How the Edsel worked
How Stinger missiles work
How hybrid cars work
How sharks work
How mosquitoes work
How diesel engines work
How water towers work
How the Dawn mission works
How Kassam rockets work
How the North American Eagle works
Why aren't we flying to work?
How tofu and soy milk work
How Colony Collapse Disorder works
How airbags work
How the U.S. income tax works
How gum works
How caffeine works
How Daylight Saving Time works
How a cruise missile works
How snow making works
© 2007, How Stuff Works Inc. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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