Blood is an essential fluid that supplies oxygen and nutrients to cells in our body. Our heart pumps blood in our vessels, which then circulates it throughout our bodies. It is vital for our survival and makes up around 7-8% of our total body weight. It regulates our body’s temperature and blood pressure. It also removes toxins and waste from our bodies. Let’s learn some interesting facts about the blood, its function, and its importance for our bodies.

What Are the Components of Blood?
Functions of Blood in Our Body
Major Blood Groups Explained
Interesting Facts about Blood

What are the Components of Blood

The main components of blood are plasma and blood cells.

Plasma: It is the yellowish fluid of the blood that makes up more than half of the total blood volume. It takes blood cells, nutrients, and salt to various parts of our body.

Blood Cells: There are three different types of blood cells in our body: white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Each of these cells performs a unique function in our body:

WBC (White Blood Cells): The purpose of the white blood cells is to fight infections. These cells help form antibodies to fight infections.
RBC (Red Blood Cells): The red colour of the blood comes from red blood cells. The life span of red blood cells is usually 120 days, and our body generates new blood cells every day. There is an iron-rich protein in red blood cells, which carries oxygen from the lungs to the body and returns carbon dioxide to the lungs for removal from the body.
Platelets: Platelets are the blood cells that help in clotting. These cells are important to control bleeding from injury on our skin or body.

Functions of Blood in our Body

Blood performs various functions in our body, from providing oxygen and nutrients to removing toxins. Let’s learn about the main functions of blood in our body:

Gives Nourishment: Blood supplies glucose, amino acids, and fats from the digestive system to various parts of our bodies.

Transporting Oxygen: One of the main functions of blood is to transport oxygen from the lungs throughout the body. Hemoglobin present in the red blood cell carries oxygen.

Fights Infections: Blood protects and fights against infections.White blood cells play an important role in healing wounds and illness.

Protects our Body: The plasma in blood saves us from excessive bleeding during injuries or accidents. It forms clots on the wound to stop bleeding.

Removal of Waste: The blood helps remove waste and toxins from our body by sending them to organs like the kidneys, lungs, and liver for elimination.

Major Blood Groups Explained

Each person has a different blood type depending on the presence or absence of antigens and the Rh factor in the blood. Rh factor means the presence or absence of a Rhesus protein in blood. If it is present, the blood type is Rh+, and if not, it is Rh-

Based on antigens and the Rh factor, there are eight different blood types of blood groups: A+, A-, B+, B-, O+, O-, AB+, and AB-

Blood Group	Antigens	Rh
A+	A Antigen Present	Rh antigen Present
A-	A Antigen Present	Rh Antigen Not Present
B+	B Antigen Present	Rh Antigen Present
B-	B Antigen Present	Rh Antigen Not Present
O+	A and B Antigen Not Present	Rh Antigen Present
O-	A and B Antigen Not Present	Rh Antigen Not Present
AB+	Both A and B Antigen Present	Rh Antigen Present
AB-	A and B Antigen Not Present	Rh Antigen Not Present

Interesting Facts about Blood

The red colour of our blood comes from the iron-based oxygen-carrying protein.
Some animals, like octopus and spider, have blue blood because their oxygen carrying protein is copper-based.
O+ is the common blood group and AB- is the rarest blood group among the eight main blood group types.
The life span of red blood cells is 120 days before it gets replaced by new cells.