We all may know that skim milk is good for your bones, fish is good for your muscles and olive oil is good for your heart. But only a weird cartoonist thinks your bones actually bathe in milk or there's a blood vessel that transports fresh olive oil through a side door in the aortic chamber. Everything we eat and drink has to be broken down into different chemicals before it can get to work on helping (or, in the case of some foods and drinks, harming) your body. And that’s one of the primary jobs of the liver.
The various functions of the liver are carried out by cells called hepatocytes, which are responsible for the organ's unique ability to regenerate tissue.
Author Randall Fitzgerald takes a look at what is really in our food, drugs, cosmetics and homes, and offers practical steps you can take to protect yourself from illness.