Your liver is constantly talking to your heart and can directly influence whether or not you suffer from heart failure.
The liver and heart were long thought to operate as mostly independent systems. A newly discovered endocrine axis shows that the liver secretes a protein called HGFAC that travels through the blood to control heart genes. High levels of this protein help protect the heart from stress and keep it pumping efficiently. When this communication line breaks down, the heart becomes much more vulnerable to disease. This discovery suggests that some heart problems might actually be caused by a silent liver that has stopped sending the right signals.
A liver-heart endocrine axis revealed by systems genetics and mediated by hepatocyte growth factor activator
medRxiv · 10.64898/2026.05.05.26352474
The liver and heart are tightly interconnected organs, and liver disease is frequently accompanied by cardiovascular dysfunction, including heart failure. Despite this clinical association, the mechanisms by which liver-derived endocrine signals influence cardiac gene programs and disease susceptibility remain poorly defined. Inter-organ endocrine communication is increasingly recognized as a key regulator of systemic physiology, including cardiac function, but a comprehensive understanding of l