Top 10: What are the heaviest organs in the human body?

Top 10: What are the heaviest organs in the human body?

Just how much of your body mass is made up by your vital organs? Find out what the heaviest organs in the human body are, and what they do, here.


1. Skin

Skin © iStock
Skin © iStock

Average weight: 4,535g

Function: Protects against pathogens; provides insulation; synthesizes vitamin D; regulates temperature; provides sensation

2. Liver

Liver © iStock
Liver © iStock

Average weight: 1,560g

Function: Breaks down toxins; produces hormones, proteins and digestive biochemicals; regulates glycogen storage

3. Brain

Brain © iStock
Brain © iStock

Average weight: 1,500g

Function: Drives executive functions such as reasoning; coordinates responses to changes in environment

4. Lungs

Lung © iStock
Lung © iStock

Average weight: 1,300g

Function: Supplies oxygen to be distributed around the body; expels carbon dioxide that is created around the body

5. Heart

Heart © iStock
Heart © iStock

Average weight: 300g

Function: Pumps oxygenated blood from lungs around the body; pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs

6. Kidneys

Kidneys © iStock
Kidneys © iStock

Average weight: 260g (pair)

Function: Remove waste products; regulate sodium and water retention; filter blood; produce urine and hormones

7. Spleen

Spleen © iStock
Spleen © iStock

Average weight: 175g

Function: Filters blood; holds a reserve supply of blood; recycles iron; synthesizes antibodies; removes bacteria

8. Pancreas

Pancreas © iStock
Pancreas © iStock

Average weight: 70g

Function: Produces insulin and glycogen; secretes enzymes that assist in the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine

9. Thyroid

Thyroid © iStock
Thyroid © iStock

Average weight: 20g

Function: Controls body’s energy use; makes proteins; controls hormone sensitivity

10. Prostate gland

Prostate gland © iStock
Prostate gland © iStock

Average weight: 11g

Function: Secretes an alkaline fluid that constitutes 50-75 per cent of the volume of semen

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