When you think about memory, concentration, and mental performance, your brain probably gets all the credit.

Your liver? Not so much.

We tend to think of the liver as the body’s processing center, usually in the context of alcohol, medications, or the vague idea of “detox.” But the liver is involved in hundreds of processes, including some that help create the conditions your brain needs to function normally. One of the most important is surprisingly simple: helping manage the fuel supply.

Your liver does not make you smarter, and supporting your liver is not a shortcut to sharper thinking. But the relationship between the liver and brain is much closer than many of us realize.