The spleen is a brownish fist-sized organ located in the upper left side of the abdomen, tucked into a space between the stomach, pancreas and left kidney. It’s one of those organs that people know about, but aren’t sure what it does. Essentially, the spleen is a storage container and filter for blood, though it is part of the lymphatic system. In fact, it’s the largest lymph node in the body. One of its tasks is to remove harmful bacteria and viruses in the blood stream. Its other major task is removing or storing certain blood cells. The spleen is not part of the digestive system however is connected to the blood vessels of both the stomach and the pancreas.

The liver plays an important role in the digestion and processing of proteins, fat and sugar. The liver helps create some of the building blocks of proteins needed for the body known as amino acids. The liver plays an important role in fat digestion as well as the production of fats needed for the function of different organs of the body. Simple sugars are created in the liver by breaking down both proteins as well as more complex sugars known as glycogen. The liver can also convert simple sugar into glycogen which is better for storage. In this way the liver acts as an energy center for the body. It controls the balance of simple and complex sugar storage and releases sugar stores when needed for energy.