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Which of the following functions is NOT performed by the liver?

a) Storage of vitamins and minerals b) converts glucose to glycogen c) converts toxins to harmless chemicals d) produces bile

I chose b and got it wrong, any help?

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    $\begingroup$ I'm pretty sure the liver can do all of those things… $\endgroup$
    – canadianer
    May 30, 2014 at 3:56
  • $\begingroup$ A is actually arguable. The other three are perfectly true for liver but I am not sure about option A. $\endgroup$
    – stochastic13
    May 30, 2014 at 4:24
  • $\begingroup$ If you are asking a homework question, you must show what attempt you have made to answer it. $\endgroup$
    – Superbest
    May 31, 2014 at 22:05

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Liver does all those functions as far as I know. The liver hepatocyctes are stimulated to create the enzyme glycogen synthase which promotes the conversion of glucose to glycogen in the presence of insulin. Glycogen is stored in the liver after its production for further use. The whole process is explained in detail in this page. Regarding the storage of vitamins and minerals, I have a paper which details the absorption and storage of Vitamin A in rat liver. I am also linking another paper that details the presence of Vitamin B12 in the human liver.

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  • $\begingroup$ Even if the liver does store some vitamins, this would not make statement (a) true - there would have to be storage of minerals as well. The liver can store iron as ferritin (along with lots of other tissues). $\endgroup$
    – Alan Boyd
    May 30, 2014 at 7:00
  • $\begingroup$ @AlanBoyd yeah, support both claims to make the statement true which u have done. Reference for the statement is library.med.utah.edu/NetBiochem/hi11b.htm Thanks for pointing that out. $\endgroup$
    – The Last Word
    May 30, 2014 at 7:02
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    $\begingroup$ animal liver is very rich in vitamin A and iron. $\endgroup$
    – rhill45
    Nov 9, 2014 at 3:17
  • $\begingroup$ answer a) is definitely the 'least true' and is the right answer for sure. However, the question is iffy and should probably be made a bonus question :) $\endgroup$
    – AliceD ♦
    Nov 9, 2014 at 12:26

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