When we consider the body’s circulatory system first thing that first comes to the mind’s Heart. Have a read at these Facts About Blood Vessels below!
The Heart cannot do its work without blood vessels, an extensive system of elastic tubes made from muscles. This system of vessels transports blood to all parts of your body.
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) describes, it ensures that your Lungs, Heart, and all other vital organs receive the oxygen and nutrients they require, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) describes.
Facts About Blood Vessels
Here are ten incredible facts about blood vessels:
Also, read Facts About The Nervous System
- Your blood vessels can travel around the globe. Although blood vessels are small, their network is extremely vast if the blood vessels are laid out as a grid that measures over 60,000 miles, according to the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA) estimates. If you consider that the circle of Earth measures 24,873.6 miles, as per NASA, this means that your blood vessels can circumnavigate the globe twice as.
- They carry millions of barrels during a lifetime. The blood inside your body flows continuously. As the NIA says, your Heart pumps around 1,800 grams of blood to your veins every day. This system is responsible for carrying around 1 million barrels through the body throughout your lifetime.
- Blood vessels function together as a team. The three main kinds of blood vessels, arteries, capillaries, and veins, work in concert as per the NHLBI. If the Heart is contracted, blood flows into vessels that transport them away from the Heart. Arteries are connected by small blood vessels with thin walls known as capillaries. These let oxygen flow through the blood to the cells within the body. Then, veins transport deoxygenated blood back to the Heart.
- Ailments that cause serious illness can affect blood vessels of all kinds. Many patients are well aware of problems that affect larger blood vessels, ranging from atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) to varicose veins. Even tiny capillaries can be affected. The condition is known as capillary leak syndrome. It’s a disorder where capillaries’ walls leak. Small blood vessels leak and flood tissues surrounding them with blood. According to the National Institutes of Health, it can cause severe swelling and potentially high blood pressure.
- Blood vessels function as a field of force for the brain. They are an essential part of the defense system, known as the brain-blood barrier. As the National Cancer Institute provides, a blood vessel network and tissue made up of tightly spaced cells can prevent harmful substances to the brain.
- The blood-brain barrier allows essential substances, including oxygen, water, and carbon dioxide, to get into the brain, keeping harmful substances like bacteria out. While general anesthetics can traverse the blood-brain barrier, many vital drugs, such as some anti-cancer drugs, are not able to do so, which poses difficulties for doctors who treat grave and debilitating illnesses related to the brain NCI states. These include brain cancers and Parkinson’s disease.
- The blood vessels get affected due to conditions. The circulatory system is responsible for maintaining the body’s temperature. The blood vessels increase in size to let out heat, which allows you to cool down and then narrow or constrict to keep heat in reserve the National Library of Medicine.
- In extreme circumstances like the case when feet have been exposed to humid or cold conditions for a long period – a condition known as trench foot constrictions of the blood vessels could stop circulation, which can cause the skin tissue to die, in the words of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another complication of exposure to extreme temperatures is frostbite. This could occur after only a few minutes of exposure to freezing conditions.
- The ice cream headache is to your blood vessels. If you’re a fan of popsicles or cold water is probably familiar with the unpleasant sensation called brain freeze. If something cold gets on your mouth’s warm surface, the local blood vessels contract to limit heat loss and then relax to allow blood flow. This triggers a flash of pain lasting about a minute or until your body adjusts to the sudden shift in temperature, as the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke describes. The organization states that headaches caused by ice cream are more frequent among those with migraines.
- Your blood vessels could receive a boost from chocolate. Consuming moderate amounts of chocolate can provide advantages, such as keeping your blood vessels and heart-healthy and aiding in reducing the risk of stroke and Heart disease in a study published in a study that was published in June 2015 in Heart. How does this sweet treat improve blood vessels? Chocolate, especially darker chocolate, has micronutrients called flavonoids, which are believed to have powerful antioxidant properties, as the American Institute for Cancer Research mentions.
- Obesity is a strain on blood vessels. It’s estimated that each kilogram of fat takes approximately one mile more blood vessels, according to the Obesity Action Coalition – and that’s an increase in heart workload. This can put additional strain on the Heart’s muscles, says David Zhao, MD, section head and chief of cardiology for Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
- “Obesity has a threshold effect,” Dr. Zhao describes. For someone who weighs around 110 pounds, a gain of just one pound will not cross the threshold and cause lots of stress upon the blood vessels and heart. For those who weigh 300 pounds overweight, it could be a burden to an already stressed heart and increase the chance of blockages in blood vessels, he warns.
- The damage to blood vessels can be apparent in the early years. Zhao warns that the blood vessels change with time and age, but the damage may begin earlier, even in childhood. Teens who are overweight and have high blood pressure could be displaying signs of arteries that are thicker before they reach thirty years old, the American Heart Association says. Smoking cigarettes can cause immediate damage, not just to the lungs but also for blood vessels all over the body.
- As per the American Lung Association, smoking causes scar tissues and fats to build up in blood vessels, restricting blood flow. Zhao adds that these afflictions can cause cumulative damage to the blood vessels over many years. He explains that working out often, eating a nutritious diet, keeping a healthy weight, and quitting smoking are essential actions that aid in protecting your blood vessels.
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