Blood is a vital fluid found in human and other animals that provides important nourishment to all body organs and tissues and carries away waste materials. Sometimes referred to as"the river of life,"blood is pumped from the heart through a network of blood vessels collectively known as the circulatory system.An adult human has about 5 to 6 liters of blood, which is roughly 7 to 8 percent of total body weight. Infants and children have comparably lower volumes of blood, roughly proportionate to their smaller size. The volume of Blood in an individual fluctuates. During dehydration, for example while running a marathon, blood volume decreases. Blood volume increases in circumstances such as pregnancy, when the mother's blood needs to carry extra oxygen and nutrients to the baby.
Blood carries oxygen from the lungs to all other tissues in the body and, in turn, carries waste products, predominantly carbon dioxide, back to the lungs where they are released into the air. When oxygen transport fails, a person dies within a few minutes. Food that has been processed by the digestive system into smaller components such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates is also delivered to the tissues by the blood. These nutrients provide the materials and energy needed by individual cells for metabolism, or the performance of cellular function. Waste products produced during metabolism, such as urea and uric acid, are carried by the blood to the kidneys, where they are transferred from the blood into urine and eliminated from the body. In addition to oxygen and nutrients, blood also transports special chemicals, called hormones, that regulate certain body functions. The movement of these chemicals enables one organ to control the function of another even through the two organs may be located far apart. In this way, the blood acts not just as a means of transportation but also as a communication system.
The blood is more than a pipeline for nutrients and information; it is also responsible for the activities of the immune system, helping fend off infection and fight diseases. In addition, blood carries the means for stopping itself from leaking out of the body after an injury. The blood does this by carrying special cells and proteins, known as the coagulation system, that start to form cloths within a matter of seconds after injury.Blood is a vital to maintaining a stable body temperature; in humans, body temperature normally fluctuates within a degree of 37.0* C (98.6*). Heat production and heat loss in various parts of the body are balanced out by heat transfer via the bloodstream. This is accomplished by varying the diameter of blood vessels in the skin. When a person becomes overheated, the vessels dilate and an increased volume of blood flows through the skin. Heat dissipates through the skin, effectively lowering the body temperature. The increased flow of blood in the skin makes the skin appear pink or flushed. When a person is cold, the skin may become pale as the vessels narrow, diverting blood from the skin and reducing heat loss.About 55 percent of the blood is composed of a liquid known a plasma. The rest of the blood is made of three major types of cells: red blood cells (also known as erythrocytes), white blood cells(leukocytes), and platelets(thromboses).
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