Red blood cells, also named erythrocytes, are the most common type of cells present in your bloodstream, and they are responsible for giving the blood its distinct red color.
A single drop of your blood contains millions of red blood cells. When you examine them through a microscope, the cells ordinarily resemble a doughnut with a depressed center instead of a hole.
Hemoglobin is a protein existing inside the red blood cells and its core function is to carry oxygen.
Hundreds of millions of hemoglobin molecules are packed in each cell. Hemoglobin molecules are beautiful spherical structures that are made up of roughly 10,000 hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, sulfur and oxygen atoms.
This is in addition to the four atoms of iron, which afford the blood its oxygen carrying abilities.
Hemoglobin eases the transport of carbon dioxide from body tissues to the lungs. Carbon dioxide is a waste product of metabolism, and it is in the lungs where it is gotten rid of.
Another part of the red blood cell that is very significant is the skin, which is widely known as the membrane.
The membrane is a fantastic covering that makes it easy for the cells to stretch into thin shapes so as to pass through your body’s tiniest blood vessels hence sustaining every part of your body.
The manufacture of the red blood cells takes place in the bone marrow. Once a newly produced cell enters your bloodstream, it can circulate through your heart and body more than 100,000 times.
Unlike other body cells, the red blood cells do not have a nucleus. Lack of nucleus provides the cells with enough space to transport oxygen and also makes the cells lighter.
Lack of nucleus ensures that the amount of oxygen required by the cell for its own metabolic purposes is very low.
Therefore, most of the oxygen carried by the cell is freed into the body tissues. This is what makes your heart capable of pumping trillions of red blood cells throughout your body.
However, their lack of nucleus makes them unable to renew their internal parts. Therefore, after every 120 days, the red blood cells begin to deteriorate and lose their elasticity.
Phagocytes are large white blood cells that ingest these worn out cells. After consuming them, the phagocytes are known to spit out the iron atoms.
The iron atoms then attach themselves to the transport molecules, which take them to the bone marrow where they are used again in the formation of new red cells.
Did you know that if your trillions of red blood cells were to stop functioning all at once, you would die within a short time?
It is, therefore, important to maintain healthy red cells. Eating vitamins help build healthy red blood cells.
These include eating vitamin E that is found in foods such as nuts, seeds, dark green vegetables, avocados, and mangoes; vitamin B2, B3, and B12 which are found in foods such as whole grains, eggs and bananas; and folate, which is present in lentils, dried beans, orange juice, fortified cereals and green leafy vegetables.
Unfortunately, many people do not think about taking good care of their red blood cells unless they have ailments that affect these cells.
Various diseases that afflict the red blood cells are mainly due to lack of vitamins or iron in your diet. Additionally, some diseases of the red blood cells are inherited.
Diseases of the red blood cells include numerous types of anemia, a condition that arises due to the presence of too few red cells in the blood. This makes it hard for them to carry enough oxygen throughout the body.
Individuals suffering from anemia may have red blood cells possessing unusual shape, or that may look normal, bigger than normal or sometimes smaller than normal.
Symptoms of anemia include irregular heartbeat, tiredness, pale skin, feeling cold and in extreme cases heart failure.
Children with low levels of healthy red blood cells usually develop slower than other children. These symptoms show how important red blood cells are to your daily life.
You should, therefore, take appropriate measures to ensure that your red blood cells remain healthy.
References
- https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/red-blood-cell
- https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-increase-red-blood-cells
- https://www.healthline.com/health/rbc-count#symptoms-ofan-abnormal-count
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