Did you know that there are a lot of facts about blood? That it pumps heat through your body, that you have no less than 11,000,000 blood platelets… Santé has listed them!
If you reduce the function of blood to the essentials, you can say that it ensures a stable and warm state of your body. It transports heat through your body and ensures that the temperature is about the same everywhere, ideally around 37 degrees Celsius. If you get hot, your blood vessels expand and extra blood flows to your skin. This way the heat can leave your body. If you are cold, the reverse happens.
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Where there are no fewer than five thousand billion red blood cells per liter of blood, white blood cells have to make do with 'only' five million pieces per liter. That does not mean that you need them less, in fact:they are vital. “They are our defense mechanism”, Wouters explains. “They protect against infections by pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites, and they clean up dead substances in your body. Without white blood cells, any bacteria would make you immediately sick.”
During an average human life, the heart pumps about 210 million liters of blood.
Your blood pressure is nothing but the pressure in your blood vessels. When your heart contracts, blood enters your body. The pressure in your body is then at its highest, which is called upper pressure. When your heart relaxes, a lower pressure is created, the negative pressure. Your blood pressure changes with exercise. High blood pressure causes few complaints, only if there is a seriously elevated blood pressure you will suffer from headaches or eye problems. Deceptive, because high blood pressure is very dangerous. It can lead to cardiovascular disease and impaired kidney function. If you think you suffer from high blood pressure, it is a good idea to see your doctor to have your blood pressure measured. You can also measure it with a self-test, although a professional always knows more. What is a good blood pressure also differs per person, but for a woman an upper pressure of 120 compared to a negative pressure of 75 is normal.
Text Fleur Baxmeier | Image getty images, shutterstock
