Blood is vital to human life. It is the fluid that carries food and oxygen to every cell in your body to keep it fed and oxygenated. It also takes away carbon dioxide and waste from your cells so your body can get rid of them. If you did not have enough blood in your body, your cells and then your whole body would quickly die from not enough water, food and oxygen and too much waste and carbon dioxide.
Blood is a powerful liquid. Every drop of blood is made up of three components, each of which has a critical role. These three components keep the nutrients and oxygen flowing, help you to stop bleeding too much if you get a cut and protect you from bacteria and viruses that may want to hurt you.
The average human adult has eight to ten pints or 3.7 to 4.7 liters of blood in their whole body at one time. A newborn baby has about one cup of blood or 240 milliliters of blood in his or her little body. If more than 15 per cent of the blood is lost (more than half a pint or 0.6 liters in an adult or 36 milliliters in a newborn), whether from bleeding externally or internally, bodies have to work harder to keep the cells fed and oxygenated. People can die from blood loss very quickly as a result of any trauma like an accident, emergency surgery, hemorrhage after childbirth or a diagnosis of leukemia or dengue (diseases that damage the blood’s ability to work properly). Having enough blood is critical in keeping a person alive. It is possible, however, to replace blood loss with the blood of another person. Donated blood can and does save lives.