The liver is the largest gland in the human body. It is a soft, red-brown organ, weighing about four pounds in the adult. The liver is located just below the diaphragm on the right side of the abdominal cavity. It has four sections called lobes and contains a sack-like structure called the gall bladder. A large supply of blood circulates through the liver, bringing materials to be acted on and carrying away the products formed by the liver.
The liver is mainly a digestive gland, but it serves the body in many different ways. It is necessary for life. Three of its major jobs are producing bile, changing foods into glycogen which the organ stores, and forming urea from the waste products of proteins.
