Human Body

About the Muscles of the Human Body

The human muscular system performs numerous useful functions, including keeping the heart contracting to body movement. Muscles relax, contract, lengthen and allow a variety of action.

What Is Potassium in the Human Body?

Each time your heart beats and your muscles move when your brain directs them, you have potassium to thank. This mineral is responsible for a number of vital functions in the human body -- without it, you would not be able to live. By...

Fructose in the Human Body

When you bite into a juicy apple, the sweetness comes from fructose, a simple sugar that occurs naturally in most fruits and honey. Fructose's sweetness accounts for its popularity in processed foods. In 2004, high-fructose corn syrup accounted...

Magnesium in the Human Body

The magnesium you consume in the foods you eat plays many roles in the human body. It's necessary for your muscles to contract and relax normally and for your body to make protein and energy. Most people get an ample supply of the mineral from...

B12 in the Human Body

Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is one of the essential B vitamins that the body requires from a balanced diet. The Mayo Clinic explains that although it is water soluble, this nutrient is stored in the body in small amounts. However, it is still...

The Human Body & Sodium

Although you need a small amount of sodium every day to keep your body functioning properly, you may be getting more than you actually need. This is true for the average American, who gets about 75 percent of his daily sodium from processed foods...

Biggest Muscles in the Human Body

The human body consists of three types of muscle: smooth, cardiac, and skeletal. Skeletal muscle, also called striated muscle, is the type of muscle that we typically think of when we discuss muscle. It is the type of muscle that is responsible...

5 Major Muscles in the Human Body

Every muscle in the human body has its specific function that allows humans to move the way we do. However, some muscles are more important in that they are activated more often, or are used in many different motions.

Where Are the 4 Types of Joints on the Human Body?

A joint is the region where two or more bones make contact, providing mechanical support, and allowing movement in some cases. Joints are classified by the way bones are connected together, and also by the degree of movement between the bones. The...

The Effects of Radiation on the Human Body

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, radiation is energy traveling in the form of waves or high-speed particles. It is present all around us and comes from the ground, within our bodies and from outer space. Nuclear power plants,...

What Are the Symptoms of Worms in the Human Body?

Intestinal parasites in the body are commonly caused by poor sanitation and hygiene, as well as international travel to locations where parasite infections are common. In some cases, worms may be spread through sexual intercourse when anal and...

Smooth Muscles of the Human Body

Smooth muscles of the human body are activated by your autonomic nervous system, or the part of your nervous system creating involuntary movement within your body. You cannot consciously control these muscles. These muscles contract to perform...

Essential Nutrients for the Human Body

The human body is a complex system, requiring energy to carry out its myriad of metabolic processes. To maintain its functions, the body needs a constant supply of nutrients. An appropriately balanced diet with essential nutrients goes a long way...

What Is Selenium Used for in the Human Body?

Selenium may only be found in trace amounts within the human body, but this mineral is essential for many bodily functions. Not only does it work to rid your cells of damaging free radicals, but it also keeps your immune system working properly...

Strange Parts of the Human Body

The human body is made up of many different systems, organs and tissues. While almost all of them have specialized functions and are necessary, a few have negligible uses, and some scientists even debate whether they are even necessary. While some...

How to Burn Human Body Fat

Although fat is often looked down upon, it is necessary for good health, since it's required for brain structure and hormone production. However, excess body fat, especially in the abdominal region, is associated with a higher risk for...

Blood Vessels in the Human Body

The circulatory system is made of the heart, an interconnection of blood vessels and blood. The vessels start out large near the heart and branch off and become smaller to reach areas like the tip of the nose, the fingers and toes and the very...

The Requirements of Vitamin E in the Human Body

Vitamin E is one of the fat-soluble vitamins, along with vitamins A, D and K, required for the optimal health of the human body. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, or NHANES, indicates that most Americans do not get enough...

List of Human Body Systems

You body is made of thirteen body systems that work together to keep you alive and functioning. If any one of these systems is not working properly, it will cause a chain reaction that affects other body systems, which may cause them to fail....

What Are the Effects of Steroids on the Human Body?

Steroids are synthetically produced hormones that work basically the same as natural hormones produced by the body. The type of hormone a steroid resembles will determine how it affects the body. Corticosteroids are used in the treatment of...

The Effects of Caffeine on the Human Body

For many people, no day would be complete without the energy-jolting boost of a caffeinated beverage: Four out of every five Americans consume caffeine daily, according to Swedish Medical Center, making it the most commonly used drug in the world....

The Importance of Phosphates in the Human Body

Phosphates are chemical compounds that are found in the human body and throughout the natural world. The element phosphorous, a key component of phosphates, is essential to human, plant and animal life. Next to calcium, phosphorous is the most...

Strongest Muscles in the Human Body

There are 650 skeletal muscles in the body, and all perform different functions. Some muscles are bigger than others and have more power; others work harder and have greater capacity for consistent work; others can exert tremendous forces.

Heaviest Muscles in the Human Body

Several muscles in the body are rather heavy, most of them found in the the lower body. Muscles gain in mass and weight as they are developed, which is why muscle weight is often determined by body size, strength and even genetics or heredity....

The Muscular System of a Human Body

Muscles of vertebrates, including humans, are divided into three types: skeletal muscle, smooth muscle and cardiac muscle. In humans, muscles can account for close to 50 percent of the body's weight. For the most part, smooth muscle and cardiac...

How to Prevent Dehydration in the Human Body

The Institutes of Medicine sets the water intake recommendations at 2.7 liters for women and 3.7 liters for men each day. While the water intake requirements are typically easy to achieve through water, juice, sports drinks and foods that contain...

The Effects of Prawns on the Human Body

Prawns are often mistaken for large shrimp, but are actually more closely related to lobsters. Prawns are considered a delicacy by many people and appear on gourmet restaurant menus around the world. Seafood should be a healthy part of your diet,...

The Names of the Muscles in the Human Body

The human body moves voluntarily and involuntarily via our muscular system. Muscles contract and shorten in response to nerve stimuli as they counter gravitational forces and maintain posture and balance. There are over 600 muscles in our body,...

What Are the Functions of Protein in the Human Body?

Proteins are present throughout the body, providing structure and helping create important substances required for good health. This nutrient is a necessary component of the human diet. The body cannot store proteins as it does fats and...