Which organ receives nutrients via the hepatic portal vein to the liver?

• A. Heart
• B. Liver
• C. Lungs
• D. Kidneys

Answer: (B)

Nutrients absorbed from the digestive tract are carried first to the liver through a special vessel called the hepatic portal vein. This portal system brings nutrient-rich, but venous, blood from the stomach, intestines, spleen, and pancreas directly to the liver. The liver then processes and stores these nutrients, helps regulate blood sugar, detoxifies substances, and synthesizes important proteins before the blood circulates to the rest of the body. The other organs—heart, lungs, and kidneys—receive blood through the body’s general circulation after the liver has done its processing, not directly from the hepatic portal vein. So the organ that receives nutrients via the hepatic portal vein to the liver is the liver.