A. Moschetta: Ci vuole fegato (It takes liver)

Summary

Since ancient times, the liver has been considered an organ of great importance. Seat of feelings and passions for the Greeks, according to the Etruscans and Romans the liver of animals was the key to interpreting the will of the gods regarding the future. Science later confirmed its strategic role: the liver is the most important “laboratory” of our organism, because it carries within it the traces of our habits and can herald the vulnerability of our body to future pathologies.

One of the most complex organ, the liver never ceases to surprise us: we continue to learn new details about its functioning. Thanks to the study of bile, for example, we now have a new vision of the gastrointestinal system, animated by a dense exchange of signals that allows us to evaluate the liver and intestine no longer as separate entities, but as a single organ. We also know that the liver plays a central role in metabolism, it is an “altruist” that synthesizes molecules useful for all organs, neutralizes toxic substances, helps safeguard physiological well-being and keep our body in balance.

Among its main tasks is to somatize the dysfunctions and damage caused by infections, alcohol abuse, smoking, drugs and dietary fats. Therefore, if intoxicated, the liver also reveals symptoms of suffering: gallstones, hypercholesterolemia and cirrhosis are just some of the possible manifestations of his malaise, which can contribute to the onset of diseases such as hepatitis, “fatty liver”, NASH and cancer. Fortunately, today, thanks to technological progress, we have tools that offer us the hope of defeating these diseases with prevention, cutting-edge procedures and personalization of treatments. Yet, we must not forget that it is enough to change our often incorrect lifestyle, prefer a healthy diet and practice physical activity to allow our liver to perform its primary function: to take care of us.