By Dr. Linda J. Dobberstein, DC, Board Certified in Clinical Nutrition
The human body is an orchestration like none other! From a cellular perspective, the individual organs and tissues, and how it all comes together to make you is an extraordinary creation. Here are some fun facts about your body. Take time today and every day to take care of this amazing gift!
Q: How many cells make up the human body in a 150-pound adult?
A: The human body is an incredibly complex system composed of approximately 30 trillion cells with about 200 different types of cells. Each cell type performs a unique function based on their size, shape, and make-up. From your heartbeat to absorption of food, nerves and glial cells, skin cells, and all the functions of your body, each cell has a unique defined purpose.
Q: What percentage of the brain is made up of fat?
A: The human brain is made up of about 60% fat. The remaining 40% is a combination of water, proteins, carbohydrates, and electrolyte salts. Some fats needed by your brain include cholesterol, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, fatty acids like PEA (palmitoylethanolamide), and phospholipids (phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine, etc). Fats are required for nerve protection, electrical activity, cell membrane structure, repair, immune function, and so much more.
Q: How many cranial nerves originate in the brain?
A: 12 cranial nerves. Cranial nerves are essential for sensory and motor functions. These nerves originate in your brain and extend down to the head, neck, chest, and upper abdominal organs. They control everything from facial expressions and sensations, vision, hearing, taste and your internal organ functions.The vagus nerve is Cranial Nerve 10.
Q: How many times does a healthy adult's heartbeat per day?
A: In a healthy adult, your heart beats around 100,000 times per day, pumping blood through about 60,000 miles of blood vessels in your body. This equates to about 2.5 billion beats over a 70-year lifetime. Cardiac muscle cells are unique compared to other muscles in your body. The heart also has its own autonomic nervous system.
Q: How much air do you breathe in each day?
A: The average adult breathes about 12 to 18 times per minute, which adds up to around 22,000 to 25,000 breaths per day. Breathing is essential for oxygenating the blood and removing carbon dioxide, ensuring that your body’s cells have the oxygen they need to function properly.
Q: How many alveoli, or air sacs, are in your lungs?
A: Between 300,000 and 500,000 alveoli. Alveoli are tiny air sacs in your lungs where oxygen and other gases are exchanged. Your lungs are involved with detoxifying things you breathe in.
Q: How long is the small intestine in the human body?
A: Between 10 and 16 feet long. The small intestine plays a critical role in digestion and nutrient absorption. It breaks down food and absorbs essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients needed by your body for energy and repair. A large percentage of your immune system is in the small intestine. Many hormones are released in the small intestine.
Q: What is the combined surface area of the small and large intestines?
A: About 32 meters (2). The surface area of your intestinal tract is amazingly large. It is about half the size of a badminton court. This massive area allows your body to perform innumerable complex activities with the gut microbiome that affects digestion, absorption, immune, endocrine, detoxification and more. It is a supercomputer highway system!
Q: How many bacteria are estimated to live in your gut microbiome?
A: The gut microbiome consists of approximately 37 trillion bacteria, outnumbering the human cells in your body. These microorganisms play a vital role in digestion. The microbiome cross-talks with all parts of your body influencing immune function, inflammation, brain, heart, mood, skin, etc. A healthy gut microbiome is critical for nutrient absorption, immune protection against harmful pathogens, energy and metabolism. Maintaining your gut health is essential to your health.
Q: How much food does your digestive system process in a year?
A: An average adult consumes about 2,000 pounds (1 ton) of food per year.
Q: Which organ in the body is responsible for filtering blood and requires up to 10 times more glutathione than the rest of the body?
A: The liver is your body's primary detoxifying organ. It filters everything that you put into your body. It pulls toxins in the blood that entered from your digestive tract. The liver produces and activates hormones, stores and burns fat and blood sugar, and other essential metabolic activities. It requires higher amounts of the antioxidant glutathione to neutralize harmful substances and support its 24/7 work.
Q: How often does all the blood in your body go through your kidneys for filtration?
A: About every 30 minutes. Your kidneys are the body's natural filtration system. They clean the blood of toxins, excess fluids, and waste about 50 times a day. This process ensures that the body maintains a proper balance of electrolytes and fluids while eliminating harmful waste products.
Q: How many lymph nodes are in your body?
A: About 700 lymph nodes. The lymphatic system is responsible for filtering out waste, toxins, and harmful substances from the body. These nodes act as filters and are essential for immune defense, collecting and draining excess fluid and cellular waste into the bloodstream for elimination. The spleen is the largest lymph organ.
Q: How many skin cells do you have in every inch of your body?
A: About 19 million skin cells. Your skin is the largest organ of your body. These skin cells constantly regenerate, with 30,000 to 40,000 cells being shed daily. This process helps maintain a healthy glow and elasticity to your skin.
Q: How many mitochondria are typically found in each human cell?
A: There are on average 1,000 and 2,500 mitochondria per cell. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell, producing energy in the form of ATP. Cells in high-energy-demanding organs like the brain, heart, and kidneys may contain up to 5000 mitochondria per cell to ensure these organs function efficiently.
Q: How much ATP is produced per minute by your mitochondria?
A: A healthy person at rest produces their body weight in grams per day of energy/ATP(adenosine triphosphate). For example, the mitochondria in a healthy 150-pound adult produces 150 grams of ATP or about 1200 watts of energy. Athletes at maximum output may produce up to1.0 kilograms per minute of ATP. ATP must be constantly produced as it is not stored in your body. Exercise stimulates ATP production.
Q: What percentage of ATP produced by the body is used by the brain?
A: About 70 percent. Your brain is the most energy demanding organ using 70% of the ATP produced by the body. Keeping your brain energized is paramount to combat sluggish thinking, brain fog, mood stress and its 24/7 orchestration of keeping you going!
Q: How many different hormones are produced by the adrenal glands?
A: About 50 different hormones, such as cortisol and DHEA. These hormones are derived from cholesterol. The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and weigh about 5 grams each. They produce hormones that affect and regulate blood pressure, blood sugar, stress responses, immune function, bone density, reproductive health and much more.
Q: How many muscles are in your body?
A: There are over 600 named skeletal muscles in your body along with cardiac and smooth muscles. Muscles are required for breathing, speaking, swallowing, digesting food and bowel motility, urination, standing up straight, sitting, moving, pumping blood through the heart and blood vessels, lymph movement, vision, and hearing. They are required for male and female reproductive systems. Muscles are also involved with metabolism as they store and release energy.
Q: How many bones are in your body?
A: Babies are born with around 270 bones, many of which fuse together as they grow. By the time a person reaches adulthood, they have about 206 bones.
Q: What is the longest and strongest bone in the human body?
A: The femur, or thigh bone, is the longest and strongest bone in the body. It supports the weight of your body in activities like walking, running, lifting heavy objects, and jumping, and is crucial for maintaining upright posture.
Meeting Your Body’s Daily Needs
Wow!! Isn’t the human body magnificent? The complex, orchestration of cells, organs, highway systems, genes, enzymes, signaling mechanisms, etc. works without you even thinking about it—your heart beats, your brain sends signals, and your gut microbiome, genes, and enzymes function in harmony. While you can influence some processes, like breathing or heart rate, other vital functions like bone growth and detoxification happen automatically.
To keep this incredible system running smoothly, you need quality sleep, physical activity, whole foods, clean water, and strong social connections. Take care of yourself, and your body will take care of you!
Sleep: 7-8 hours of quality sleep, preferably at night and in one period. Disrupted sleep, shift work, and altered circadian rhythms dysregulate your internal body clocks in all your cells and organs. If you have 30 trillion cells in your body, there’s a lot of clocks that are out of sync and working against each other! That chaos creates a lot of fatigue, brain fog, disrupted metabolism, etc.
Physical Activity: You were made to move. The “Use it or lose it” is a true need for your health.
Diet: Choose a whole foods diet 80-90 percent of the time, preferably organic, free-range, or from your local farmer’s market. Avoid ultra-processed foods as these junk foods provide no sustainable nutritional value to these bodily gifts found in the human frame. These foods destroy you and your family’s health over time.
Drink quality filtered water. At least 6 – 8 eight-ounce glasses per day, or more if you are outdoors, in a dry climate, exercise, drink high amounts of caffeine, etc.
In-depth information is found in the article: National Nutrition Month: How Nutritious Is Your Diet?
You take care of your family, home, car/transportation, yard, and finances. Your body has a lot of work to do every day! Are you supporting your body with good choices every day? Here are some resources to help you optimize your needs.
• Multiple vitamin formula: Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin, Daily Prenatal Multiple Vitamin (contains iron), or Super Mini Multi.
• Fish oils: Daily DHA, DHA Kids, or Leptinal
• Antioxidant Blends and Detoxification Support: Daily Protector Eye & Immune (red-orange superfood antioxidant blend), Glutathione Ultra, Brain Protector, and Daily Detoxify
• Fiber Helper: American diets do not provide enough fiber.
• Daily Protein and Daily Protein Plus
• Mineral blends: Daily Bone Xcel, Daily Builder, or Coral Calcium
• Lymph: Immune Plus capsules or powder, Tributyrin Plus, Repair Plus
• Sleep: RelaxaMag, TriCal, PEA Ultra, Sleep Helper, Melatonin, others
• Adrenals and Stress: Adrenal Helper, Stress Helper, Muscle Mag, RelaxaMag, Vitamin C
