How many litters of blood do we have?

Have you ever wondered how much blood flows 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 carries 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, be sure to read the following OneHowTo.com article and discover how many litters of blood we have.

How many litters of blood do we have?

Scientifically it has been proven that the body of an adult human can hold between 4.5 and 6 litters of blood, approximately, which is roughly between 7 and 8% of our body weight. However, the ability to hold such an amount of blood varies from person to person, depending on factors such as age, weight, height, and even gender. However, the average number of litres of blood in adult bodies is 5 litters.

This amount of blood is called viremia and it is made up of the following blood components: plasma (55%), red blood cells (43%) and white blood cells and platelets (2%). All of them are necessary to ensure good health.

How to calculate the litters of blood in our body?

You cannot really calculate exactly the litters 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 roughly calculate the litres of blood that flow through your body.

To do 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 data into account, we must calculate this percentage of the adult”s weight. That is, if a person weighs 70 kg the formula will be: 70 * 7/100 = 4.9 litters of blood in the body.

Another method that can help to obtain the calculation of blood in the body is to multiply the total weight by 70cc of blood that on average we have per kg. In other words, for a person who weighs 70 kg, the formula would be: 70 * 70 = 4,900cc = 4.9 litres of blood.

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

Blood types

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

• Group A: group red blood cells have antigen A and Anti-B antibody in their plasma
• Group B: red blood cells have the B antigen and the Anti-A antibody
• Group AB: Red blood cells have A and B antigens, but plasma does not have antibodies
• Group 0: red blood cells do not have antigens, but they do have Anti-A and Anti-B antibodies

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

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