Blood is one of the three main fluids in the body (the other two are the fluid around cells and the fluid inside the cells). It supplies oxygen, transports nutrients, waste, and hormonal messengers to each of the sixty billion cells in the body, as well as defending the body against foreign material. There are close to 30 trillion blood cells in an adult. Each cubic millimeter of blood contains from 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 million red blood cells and an average total of 7,500 white blood cells. Blood has four main components: red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and liquid plasma. Since both red and white blood cells are continually being destroyed, the body must continue to produce new ones. About 2 1/2 million red blood cells die every second, at the same time, about 2 1/ 2 million new ones are created. Research Blood
Abbreviations
Medicine
Research Blood