Organ weight is a complex subject.

To figure out accurate ranges for organ weights, more data need to be collected.

Furthermore, this data needs to come from different types of people.

Woman looking at model of human body

fotostorm / Getty Images

Right now, such data is not routinely collected.

Even though humans change very slowly over time, the results of this study are already dated.

What is the heaviest organ by weight?

How Much Do Breasts Weigh?

Dense breast tissue will be heavier than fatty breast tissue.

Some breast conditions result in relative breast weight changes.

Besides disease, diet and exercise are other important factors affecting breast mass.

When people lose weight, they tend to do so uniformly.

She would be proportionately smaller.

Targeted fat loss or spot reduction is unlikely.

A female who loses weight will not experience a noticeable decrease in breast size.

Diet:Interestingly, femalethyroidweight has little to do with height, weight, and lean body mass.

Instead, female thyroid weight may be most influenced by dietary iodine intake.

Sex:On average, females tend to have lighter organs than men do.

Age: Except for the heart, organ weights tend to decrease as we get older.

Brain weight can also vary based on the population being studied.

Certain pathology sources express organ weights as a percentage of body weight, defining a direct and proportional relationship.

If a person’s body weight doubles, the individual organs dont double in weight.

Impact of Disease

The effect of disease or pathology on organ weight is highly variable and complex.

Certain illnesses cause organs to weigh more and certain illnesses cause organs to weigh less.

Eventually, however, liver weight in people dependent on alcohol can decrease with the development ofcirrhosis.

With cirrhosis, healthy liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue.

As for the brain,cerebral atrophyseen in conditions such as stroke and dementiaresults in decreased brain weight.

Can organs gain weight?

Organs can become larger and heavierknown as organomegalyas a result of certain diseases and conditions.

For instance:

Future Research

There is still a lot to learn about organ weights.

Currently, the reference values used for organ weights arent based on convincing evidence and arent universal.

Organ weights may help determine if theres an abnormality and help with diagnosis.

They also predict more promise with the use of CT to determine organ weights.

Summary

Determining organ weights is complex.

2013;14(6):12222-12248. doi:10.3390/ijms140612222

Canadian Cancer Society.The breasts.

Am J Phys Anthropol.

Am J Clin Nutr.

2007 Jul;86(1):82-91. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/86.1.82

Brown University.How does weight affect your heart?

J Appl Physiol (1985).

JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc.

Am J Forensic Med Pathol.

2016 Jan;59(1):217-221. doi: 10.1007/s00125-015-3752-z

March of Dimes.Weight gain during pregnancy.

Johns Hopkins Medicine.Common characteristics of liver disease.

2020;9(18):e015699.