What does the liver do? - Emma Bryce

肝是做什麼的? - Emma Bryce

譯者: Zoë Hwang 審譯者: Jenny Yang

There's a factory inside you that weighs about 1.4 kilograms

每個人的身體都有 一座重達1.4公斤的工廠

and runs for 24 hours a day.

而且每天24小時不間斷運作

This is your liver, the heaviest organ in your body,

那就是你的肝 是人體裡最重的器官

and one of the most crucial.

也是最重要的器官之一

This industrious structure simultaneously acts as a storehouse,

這個勤奮工作的器官 同時也扮演著倉庫的角色

a manufacturing hub,

製造中心

and a processing plant.

以及處理廠

And each of these functions involve so many important subtasks

每個功能包含許多重要的小任務

that without the liver, our bodies would simply stop working.

少了肝我們的身體就會停止運作

One of the liver's main functions is to filter the body's blood,

肝的主要功能之一 就是過濾人體的血液

which it receives in regular shipments from two sources:

肝平常從兩個地方接收血液

the hepatic artery delivers blood from the heart,

肝動脈接收從心臟流出的血液

while the hepatic portal vein brings it from the intestine.

還有同時從腸道流向肝門靜脈的血液

This double delivery fills the liver with nutrients,

這兩條通道提供養分給肝臟

that it then sorts, processes and stores

經過分類，處理及儲藏

with the help of thousands of tiny internal processing plants,

藉由體內數以千計微小的工廠

known as lobules.

也就是大家熟知的小葉

Both blood flows also deliver the oxygen that the liver needs to function.

這兩條血液的通道也傳遞氧氣 讓肝臟得以運作

The blood that is received from the intestine

從腸道接收到的血液

contains carbohydrates, fats,

包含有碳水化合物、脂肪

and vitamins and other nutrients dissolved in it

以及維他命 還有其他分解在血液中的養分

from the food you've consumed.

這些養分都是從你吃的食物中獲取的

These must be processed in different ways.

這些養分的處理方式都不同

In the case of carbohydrates,

以碳水化合物來說

the liver breaks them down and converts them into sugars

肝會先分解碳水化合物再轉變成糖

for the body to use as energy when the filtered blood is sent back out.

作為身體的能量 以過濾完的血液輸送出去

Sometimes the body has leftovers of nutrients

有時身體會有過剩的養分

that it doesn't immediately require.

並不立即需要能量

When that happens, the liver holds some back,

這時肝就會減少釋出

and stacks them in its storage facility.

並儲存在它的儲藏設備

This facility works like a pantry

這設備就像儲藏室

for future cases when the body might be in need of nutrients.

以供未來身體需要養分時作用

But the blood flowing into the liver isn't always full of good things.

但肝並未總是接受到好的東西

It also contains toxins and byproducts that the body can't use.

血液也包含了毒素和 身體用不到的副產品

And the liver monitors these strictly.

而肝會嚴格監控這一切

When it spots a useless or toxic substance,

當它發現了一個沒有用處或有毒的物質時

it either converts it into a product that can't hurt the body

肝會把它轉換成不會傷害身體的物質

or isolates it and whisks it away,

或是將它隔離並驅逐

channeling it through the kidneys and intestine to be excreted.

藉由把它轉換到腎臟及腸道再排泄出去

Of course, we wouldn't consider the liver a factory

當然，如果肝不會製造東西

if it didn't also manufacture things.

我們就不會叫它工廠了

This organ makes everything from various blood plasma proteins

肝會從各種血漿蛋白製造東西

that transport fatty acids and help form blood clots,

可以運輸脂肪酸協助凝血

to the cholesterol that helps the body create hormones.

也可以製造膽固醇 來生產身體激素

It also makes vitamin D and substances that help digestion.

肝也同時製造維他命D 以及其他物質來幫助消化

But one of its most vital products is bile.

但其中最重要的物質就是膽汁了

Like an eco-friendly treatment plant,

肝就像一個綠色環保的工廠

the liver uses cells called hepatocytes

利用稱作肝細胞的細胞

to convert toxic waste products into this bitter greenish liquid.

來轉換有毒廢棄物 就是這個又綠又苦的液體

As it's produced, bile is funneled into a small container below the liver,

生產時 膽汁會匯集到肝臟下面的容器

called the gallbladder,

稱作膽囊

before being trickled into the intestine

在傳送到腸道之前

to help break down fats, destroy microbes, and neutralize extra stomach acid.

膽汁會分解脂肪、破壞微生物 以及中和多餘胃酸

Bile also helps carry other toxins and byproducts from the liver

膽汁也從肝臟運送其他毒素及副產品

out of the body.

幫忙排除體外

So as you can see,

所以你就知道

the liver is an extremely efficient industrial site,

肝是一個極為有效率的工廠

performing multiple tasks that support each other.

多工執行 彼此支援

But such a complex system needs to be kept running smoothly

但如此一個複雜的系統 需要保持運作流暢

by keeping it healthy

就必須要保持健康

and not overloading it with more toxins than it can handle.

也不能讓更多毒素 使它超載無法負荷

This is one factory we simply can't afford to shut down.

這可是一個我們無法承受它關閉的工廠