The liver, gallbladder, and pancreas all take part in the process of digestion by secreting digestive juices that break down food molecules. The liver produces a greenish digestive juice called bile, which is stored in the sac-like gallbladder. The pancreas produces a powerful digestive fluid known as pancreatic juice. When food enters the duodenum from the stomach, the duodenal lining releases hormones that stimulate the gallbladder and pancreas to release their juices.
The liver is the body’s chemical factory, converting molecules into simpler or more complex forms as the body requires. For example, nutrients are modified in the liver, then stored there or distributed throughout the body; toxins such as alcohol are broken down into less harmful substances. The liver also produces the digestive juice bile.
From the 2010 revision of the Complete Home Medical Guide © Dorling Kindersley Limited.
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