How Much Blood is in the Human Body
Blood is the bodily fluid responsible for delivering important substances like oxygen, hormones and nutrients to the cells as well as removing waste products from the cells. It is made up of blood cells that are suspended in blood plasma. This plasma is mostly made of water, but may also contain proteins, glucose, carbon dioxide, platelets, hormones as well as the blood cells. The most common type of blood cells are red blood cells, but white blood cells and platelets are also important components of blood. Now you know a little bit about the composition of the blood, let’s take a look at how much blood is in the average human body.
How much blood does an average person have?
Based on general estimate, about 8% of our body weight is blood. This means that an average adult has about 5 liters (1.3 gal) of blood. This total varies depending on a variety of factors such as age, gender, health and body type. A newborn baby of 3.6 kg (8 lbs) will have approximately 240 ml (8 ounces) of blood.
Did you know?
People living at high altitudes can have up to two liters (0.5 gal) of extra blood. This is due to the lower levels of available oxygen in the air. The body adapts at higher altitudes and produces extra blood to provide an adequate amount of oxygen to the lungs.
It has been shown that females have slightly less volume of red blood cells than males.
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