How many liters of blood do we have

Have you ever wondered how much blood runs through your body ? We know that most of our body is composed of water but one of the most important fluids for the proper functioning of the human body, since it acts as a connector and transporter of nutrients, salts, antibodies, enzymes, hormones, gases, metabolites and proteins, all of them basic elements for our survival.

The functions of the blood are basic: it transports nutrients and hormones, protects the body from diseases thanks to the production of antibodies and regulates body temperature and pressure, through the administration of water and salts. Now that you know a little more about blood, do not stop reading the following .com article and find out how many liters of blood we have .

How many liters of blood do we have?

Scientifically it has been proven that the body of an adult human can hold between 4.5 and 6 liters of blood, approximately, which means, roughly, between 7 and 8% of our body weight. However, the ability to contain such amount of blood varies according to the person, since it depends on factors such as age, weight, height and even sex. However, the average liters of blood in adult bodies is 5 liters.

Such a quantity of blood is called volemia and is made up of the following blood components: plasma (55%), red blood cells (43%) and targets and platelets (2%). All of them are necessary to ensure a good state of health.

How to calculate the liters of blood in our body

It really can not calculate exactly the liters of blood that make up our body since, as we have highlighted previously, it varies according to multiple factors (weight, age, height, sex ...). However, there is a small formula to calculate approximately the liters of blood that travel through your body.

For this, we must take into account the average blood volume of the total body weight, which in a normal adult is around 7 or 8%. Taking this fact into account, we must calculate this percentage as regards the weight of the adult. That is, if a person weighs 70 kg the formula will be: 70 * 7/100 = 4.9 liters of blood in the body.

Another method that can help to get the calculation of blood in the body is to multiply the total weight by 70cc of blood that we have on average per kg. That is, for a person weighing 70 kg the formula would be: 70 * 70 = 4.900cc = 4.9 liters of blood.

These formulas are not 100% accurate. They only calculate the average blood we have in our body depending only on the weight factor and without taking into account anything else.

Blood types

We do not all have the same amount of blood in our bodies, nor do we have the same blood type . After long scientific investigations it was discovered that the content of the blood could vary, that is, compatibilities and incompatibilities existed if you mixed the blood, so some had marker proteins called antigens and antibodies that reacted and others that did not mix. Therefore, the scientist Karl Landsteiner established a classification of blood groups with which future medical compatibilities could be determined. Namely:

  • Group A : the red blood cells in the group have the A antigen and the Anti-B antibody in the plasma
  • Group B : the red blood cells have the B antigen and the Anti-A antibody
  • Group AB : red blood cells have antigens A and B, but plasma has no antibodies
  • Group 0 : red blood cells do not have antigens, but anti-A and Anti-B antibodies

Currently there is a more specific classification according to the compatibility of the previous groups thanks to the study of Rhesus, which determined a new antigen in the blood, called Rh. The people who had these antigens would be positive while those who would not be negative. Therefore, the table of blood groups is the following at present: A +, A-, B +, B-, AB +, AB-, 0+, 0-.

As we have noted, not all types of blood are compatible with all organisms, except for the 0- which is considered as a universal donor and the AB + the only universal recipient. And you, what group do you belong to?

In this article you will discover what foods to eat according to your blood type.