Michael Crane The liver plays a huge role in our bodies.

Within the digestive system our liver is brought up a lot. It plays an even bigger role within our metabolism. In the liver there are heptocyte, they are the cells of the liver. The liver helps metabolize carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins, and plasma proteins. All of these are crucial to our bodies to live a normal life. The liver doesn't just help you with your energy within your body, the liver gives you balance, homeostasis. We all know about carbohydrates, we hear about them all the time. Some people believe they are even bad for your body. The liver helps with carbohydrates metabolism by stabilizing the blood glucose levels of your body. It will convert galactose and fructose to glucose. The body will then use glucose to fuel itself. The liver will store extra glucose as glycogen. From the storage it will then release glucose from glycogen as needed. The liver will also help with lactic acid waste. When your run or do exercise your muscles will build up lactic acid. Your body has to convert the lactic acid and the liver aids in this. The liver will receive lactic acid and convert it to glucose 6-phosphate or pyruvic acid. Lipids will also metabolize in the liver. Most of the lipogenesis which is fat synthesis, is carried out in the liver. The liver will also help transport fats to the adipose tissue for storage of lipids. It will produce a HDL shell which will help with excess cholesterol and it will make its way make to the liver. Proteins is a nutrient everyone knows about. This is one nutrient that is crucial to our bodies in so many ways and the liver will metabolize this vital nutrient as

well. Within the protein metabolism, the most critical part takes place in the liver. Transamination of amino acids as well as deamination of amino acids occur in the liver. The liver will also synthesize non essential amino acids. The liver will also convert non nitrogenous molecules to lipids and glucose. Synthesis of plasma proteins also occur in the liver. The liver will synthesize almost all the proteins of the blood plasma. These proteins of the blood plasma are albumin, alpha and beta globulins, fibrinogen, and prothrombin. Vitamins will also be metabolized in the liver. The liver will store vitamins for up to 10 months of vitamin A. Also a 3-4 month supply of vitamin D and store enough of vitamin B12 to last up to several years. The liver plays a huge role in our bodies as a whole but within the metabolic system, it is very crucial to the well being of our bodies. When we eat our body is going through a metabolic change. When we are finished eating and even after we are well done with our meal, our body will go through a metabolic change. These changes are broken down into two parts. The adsorptive state is when we are eating and about 4 hours after eating. The post absorptive stage occurs in the late nights, late mornings , and late afternoons. Both of these states have important roles in our metabolic states. The absorptive state is when nutrients are being absorbed. This energy can be used right away and the nutrients can also be used for other functions within the body immediately. Glucose is ready for ATP synthesis in the absorptive state. The glucose is the primary fuel. Many different actions take place in the absorptive state. Fats, carbohydrates, and

amino acids are all being metabolized and processed quickly so they are available for the body to use immediately. Insulin plays a big role in the regulation of the absorptive state. The insulin will help maintain the glucose levels while intake and regulate the intake of glucose that is consumed by cells. The insulin will also stimulate active transport of amino acids. The absorptive state is when the body is taking in and making all the nutrients immediately available for your body. This takes us to the aftermath of the absorptive state, which is the postabsorptive state. The postabsorptive state is when your body will empty its small intestine and stomach. In this state, the body will have its energy needs fulfilled from the storage of nutrients. The main goal within the postabsorptive state is to have homeostasis with our blood glucose levels. The brain cannot function correctly without a level blood glucose concentration. The way nutrients are used in the postabsorptive state is much different that in the absorptive state. Glucose will come from the body's storage, which is the glycogen reserve. The proteins will be used only if the fats and glucose reserves are depleted. The body will take away muscle protein and use it as fuel in the postabsorptive state. This can be un healthy and your body can waste away if this kind of metabolism takes place too much. The regulation of the postabsorptive state is different from absorptive state. In the postabsorptive state the sympathetic nervous system in the main regulator. The body will secrete different types of hormones to maintain it self in the postabsorptive state. Glucagon is secreted in postabsorptive state, the

glucagon will stimulate gluconeogenisis and glycogenolysis to raise the levels of glucose in the blood. Growth hormone is also used in the postabsorptive state. The growth hormone will stop insulin and allow the blood glucose level to rise. During times of stress the body will release cortisol. The cortisol will stimulate protein and fat catabolism. This will provide more energy but it is not the type of energy your body prefers. The absorptive state and postabsorptive state are very complex in their own ways and they both play a role within our body's need to stay balanced. There are many ways to gauge how your body is and what your body will need through out the day. One way is the metabolic rate. The metabolic rate is the amount of energy used in the your body per the units of time. This can be expressed in kcal/day or kcal/h. Some ways the metabolic rate may be measured are by putting a person in a calorimeter or using a spirometer. There are many factors that affect the metabolic rate. Mental state, physical activity, absorptive and postabsorptive states, and many different types of hormones all effect your metabolic rate. There is a standard for metabolic rates, it is the basal metabolic rate, also known as the BMR. The basal metabolic rate can be considered the to be the standard, many people have different ranges in their metabolic rate due to the many factors that can change it. The basal metabolic rate is about 2000kcal/day in males and in females in can be a little lower. This basal metabolic rate is the rate used to show the need of the essentials within your body. The metabolic rate is a very interesting way to gauge how much energy your need to get by

in your daily life and shows how much different lifestyles can effect how much energy your body really needs. The body is effected in many different ways. We are so sensitive , in some ways we might not even can notice or see. Metabolism runs off of enzymes and these enzymes are sensitive. They are greatly affected by the temperature that they are working in. When your body reaches a temperature which is very low, it is called hypothermia. During hypothermia, the body's metabolism slows down to a point that may not be sustainable for life. When the body reaches extremely high temperatures, it is called hyperthermia. This will cause the metabolism to run too fast and make many different processes within in your body alter too much. This also can lead to death. The process in which your body controls the temperature and maintains it, is called thermoregulation. Your body's temperature can vary for many different reasons. The time of day and where your temperature is measured are the two most important factors. The most important temperature is the core temperature. The core temperature is the temperature of the organs in the abdomen, thoracic, and cranial cavities. The easiest way to measure this temperature is taking it rectally. The rectal temperature is typically between 37.2 degrees celsius to 37.6 degrees celsius. Another temperature is a shell temperature, which is closer to the surface of the skin. Usually this temperature is taken orally. A typical oral temperature is 36.6 degrees celsius to 37.0 degrees celsius. The body will lose heat in many different ways but the three main ways

are radiation, conduction, and evaporation. Radiation is when infrared rays give off heat. We are usually warmer than our surrounds thus we give off infrared rays and give off heat. Conduction is when heat is transferred by kinetic energy. Warmer air is released from your body and is then replaced by cooler air. Evaporation is when a liquid is changed into a gas. When we sweat, we become wet and than after the sweat evaporates we tend to cool down more. Thermoregulation is very important to our bodies and it is a need for us to function. Thermoregulation is met through negative feedback loops. The hypothalamic thermostat will monitor blood temperature. It will receives signals from other receptors. The peripheral thermoreceptors are located in the skin and it will send the signals to the hypothalamic thermostat. These will both send signals to the heat-loss centers in the hypothalamus and the heat promoting centers in the mammillary bodies. These two centers will decide what to activate within the body to regulate the temperature. Some many other effects of the heat can be heat cramps and heat exhaustion. Both of these can be controlled but the heatstroke can be deadly if the body cannot regulate itself back to a normal state. Hypothermia can also be deadly and people can loose limbs as well. Thermoregulation is critically important and very sensitive to our bodies