Question

What organ’s main function is to eliminate excess water and waste products from the body?

Answer 1

Why elimination is necessary in Human body?:The build up of wastes in the human body should be prevented. some wastes like urea and even salt, cause harm to cerain organs, these are examples of harmful wastes. on the other hand we have undigested food, now, if we do not excrete, will our body be able to continue taking in food? we need to give out the substances so that the same cycle can take place again. the kidneys play an important role in the excretion of harmful wastes.All organisms, even one-cell organisms, must consume nutrients and expel wastes. Wastes contain toxins created in the breakdown of nutrients, as well as excess nutrients, such as water-soluable vitamins. If animals and humans never expelled wastes, the toxins would build up in the blood. The kidneys would be overwhelmed by toxins and likely the kidneys would cease working, leading to further blood toxins. The intestines would not have the normal fluid balance if the kidneys and blood were over-loaded and the kidneys couldn't pull off excess fluid from the intestines. The fecal matter would likely become diarrhea at first, but later could turn to constipated and impacted (solid, unable to pass from the body). Animals and humans would still want to eat and drink but because the kidneys and intestines are not able to handle the waste produced, the stomach would likely become nauseated. As the situation worsened, vomiting would occur. All the while, toxins in the blood would begin to affect the brain. In the end, coma and death would result.

*There are five main organs who are playing an important role in elimination of waste product and excess water:-

1. The Liver

Our liver is multi skilled and plays a vital role in several of our bodily systems. It’s a major player in our detox process. It regulates our blood and acts like a bouncer, blocking and kicking out the trouble makers!

• It breaks down, deactivates and removes toxic substances that we may have ingested. Things like food additives, harmful minerals, toxic medication, excess hormones and more.
• It produces ‘Kupffer’s cells’ which filter and destroy foreign invaders like bacteria, fungi, viruses and cancerous cells.

The extracts from our blood and the waste material from the earlier breakdown of harmful substances is then carried to the intestines and the kidney via our blood and bile to be excreted from our bodies.

2. The Kidneys

Our kidneys are so important to our bodily functions (including the elimination process) that we have two! The kidneys are essential for keeping our bodies in balance.

• between the acid and alkaline
• between our salt - water balance (blood pressure regulation)
• Sodium - Potassium concentration (which is essential for a healthy neurological system).

The kidneys filter our blood of toxic waste and excess water. They do this in three steps

*Filtration: Filtration is the process by which water and dissolved particles are pulled out of the blood. The resulting liquid contains water and many of the toxic substances that might have accumulated in the blood.

*Reapportion: Nephrons in the kidney will restore vital nutrients and water back into the blood, while retaining the waste products the body needs to eliminate.

*Secretion: This concentrated filtrate then makes its way out of the kidneys - along the way, any water that the kidneys deem as excess is reabsorbed and the resulting liquid makes its way to the bladder in the form of urine.

3. The Intestines

As mentioned above, our liver breaks down harmful substances. The resulting waste materials are then carried to our intestines via bile. Bile also helps breakdown fat molecules (vital for our metabolism of fats). These waste materials are carried through the small intestines along with the food that has just vacated our stomachs. While our small intestine absorbs the essential nutrients from this metabolised mass, it hopefully does not absorb these wastes and toxins and they are safely transported through to the colon where they can be excreted as part of our faeces.
Sometimes these filters, present in the small and large intestine, do not work due to disease or the food we have eaten and we can absorb toxins so we have to make sure we keep our gut healthy.

4. The Lungs

The lungs remove toxic gases from our body. Do you know that particular smell of someone the day after a night out? That's a chemical created by your liver as it destroys alcohol and it gets released through our lungs :)
We can also eliminate toxins via our phlegm.

5. The Skin

The skin is the largest organ in our body, defending us and protecting us. Sometimes the other organs of elimination need help from the skin. Any toxins/waste that is soluble in water can also be eliminated through our sweat. The most common waste to be excreted this way are residues of the metabolism of rich foods such as meat, dairy and eggs.