Importance of Your Liver!

Liver Function Test or LFT is a test used to assess health of liver. Routinely LFT is assessed by measuring proteins (total protein, albumin & globulin), transaminase enzymes (AST & ALT), gamma Glutamic acid transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatases (ALP), conjugated and unconjugated bilirubins, from a single sample of blood. These tests are powerful enough to detect presence of liver disease including hepatitis (liver infection) or obstruction (gall stones or cancer).   Liver is one of the largest solid organs in the body. It plays a number of important functions in the body. Maintaining normal level of function of liver is very important in health and disease. Liver is a storage organ for glucose and coagulation factors, and plays central role in making toxins harmless. It is involved in metabolizing medication to active or inactive products and metabolizing proteins (urea) and aiding digestion of food through bile production. Liver damage occurs very easily due to its important role in detoxifying various toxins including drugs that we take routinely.