Understanding how your bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments work together can help you prevent injuries while maximizing your athletic training. Since each part of your body depends upon and affects other areas, you will perform best when each...
Human fat cells -- also called adipocytes -- represent a type of loose connective tissue. The cells occur naturally in several regions in the body and serve a number of purposes. Scientific research has uncovered several facts about the physiology...
Iron is one of the most important minerals that plays a crucial role in various metabolic processes of the body. It can be obtained from a variety of dietary sources such as red meat, fish, poultry, lentils, beans, spinach and broccoli. The...
The human body works hard to maintain homeostasis, which means "steady state," with regard to different parameters. For instance, your body tries to maintain a constant temperature and acidity level. Similarly, you need stable levels of...
Maintaining a healthy weight reduces disease risk and improves quality of life. Weight loss occurs when caloric deficit occurs over time. Understanding the caloric equivalent of 10 lbs. enables informed diet and fitness decisions.
You've probably heard that electrolytes are good for you, and that they can help enhance cellular performance and hydration. Because water is what keeps you hydrated, it's natural to wonder whether water -- the chemical H2O -- is an electrolyte....
Phenylalanine is one of the amino acids that are the building blocks of protein. Many of the foods you eat -- including meat, dairy, eggs and soy -- contain phenylalanine. You use this amino acid for a variety of purposes in the body, including...
Lactose is milk sugar -- it's a carbohydrate that occurs in dairy products. Some sugars have structures that are classified as aldoses, meaning they have functional groups called aldehydes as part of their chemical makeup. Lactose isn't an aldose,...
Your metabolism is tied inextricably to your respiratory system, because the respiratory system is responsible for bringing in the oxygen you need to burn nutrients for energy, and for clearing out certain metabolic waste products. You can't...
You may have heard that malabsorption results from the insufficient production of digestive enzymes, and that you can treat it with supplements. With minimal exceptions, this isn't true. Malabsorption results from various disease processes that...
The cardiovascular system---consisting of the heart, blood vessels and blood---pumps oxygen-containing blood throughout the body to the cells. The nervous system, controlled by the brain, is responsible for sensing the internal and external...
The major blood vessels of the leg fall into two subcategories. Arteries carry blood away from the heart and toward the body tissues. Since the arterial blood is meant to supply tissues and cells with oxygen and nutrients, this blood is...
Your respiratory system consists of the lungs, the airways, and the muscles required to inflate and deflate your lungs. Its purpose is to take in oxygen from the atmosphere so that your heart can circulate oxygenated blood to your tissues. The...
Vitamins and digestive enzymes are two very different categories of biomolecule. Vitamins are small molecules that take part in various chemical reactions in the body, while digestive enzymes help to break down larger nutrient molecules from the...
Losing or even maintaining your weight is hard, and it is all about not taking in more calories than you burn up. The rate at which you burn calories is your metabolic rate, so if you increase your metabolic rate, you burn more calories faster....
Physical development in humans is the process whereby cells differentiate into different types and tissues, develop function and ultimately begin to perform these given functions. Development begins at conception, and continues up through puberty,...
Blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is a measure of the concentration of glucose in the bloodstream. Glucose is an organic molecule with a sweet taste found in both table sugar and starches--cells can use the molecule to provide for their...
Your cells need many different chemicals to remain functional and healthy. Proteins help to provide energy, in addition to providing the building blocks of structural and functional components of cells. Water takes part in many different chemical...
Carbohydrates include sugars and starches, and are chemical compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. While different carbohydrates -- sugars and starches, good carbohydrates and less healthy ones -- can taste differently and come from...
Glucose is one of the most important sources of cellular nutrition. Your cells can derive energy from glucose, and can also store it in the form of either glycogen -- a carbohydrate -- or fat, for later use. In order to extract and absorb the...
Potassium is a metallic element, but it's most commonly found as part of a salt compound, rather than as a metal. Potassium, like many other metals, is a mineral that your cells need to function properly. The potassium in your body is completely...
Your cells need three types of nutrients in relatively large quantities to provide for cellular energy needs and serve in other metabolic capacities. Fats and carbohydrates are two of the building blocks. The third building block is protein, which...
Sodium bicarbonate, more commonly known as baking soda, is a common household salt used for cleaning and baking. Your body also depends upon sodium bicarbonate to help you regulate your blood acidity and the acidity of the digestive tract. Because...
Sodium bicarbonate is a chemical more commonly known as baking soda. It can react with and neutralize acids, which makes it a common home remedy for acid stomach. Your body also uses sodium bicarbonate for several different things, including...
Zinc is an essential trace mineral and you must obtain zinc through your diet either from foods or supplements. In other words, your body does not naturally produce zinc. According to "Zinc in Adolescent Growth," zinc is the most abundant trace...
With as many sweeteners and alternatives to traditional sweeteners as are available on the market, it's natural to be confused as to which is healthiest. Stevia is an herb that has a naturally sweet flavor, but doesn't contain calories. You may...
Your immune system is made up of proteins, cells and organs that all work together to help keep your body safe from invasion by pathogenic organisms, like infectious bacteria and viruses. There are a number of proteins that the immune system...
HDL and LDL are commonly referred to as the two types of cholesterol: HDL being "good" and LDL "bad." In reality, they aren't types of cholesterol at all; they're cholesterol transporter particles that move cholesterol around in your body....
Your digestive tract has an important relationship with your immune system, since the digestive tract is one of the mechanisms through which you're exposed to tremendous numbers of pathogenic organisms each day. The immune system works with the...
