Bone marrow: why is it important?
Your body is a complex system, comprising cells, blood, bones, organs, tissues and other little biological intricacies. One of these special parts is a spongy substance – bone marrow. Bone marrow lives in the centre of your bones and its job is to create bone marrow stem cells, which later develop into blood cells.
Two types of bone marrow
Your entire bone marrow is red until you're about seven years old. As you get older, yellow bone marrow slowly starts to replace red bone marrow.
The red blood cells are created by red bone marrow, while yellow bone marrow stores fat. In yellow bone marrow, there are two different types of stem cells (adipocytes and mesenchymal stem cells). These cells create bone, cartilage, muscles and fat cells for your body. They also store fat for energy production.
What’s so important about bone marrow?
Since bone marrow is a crucial element of your body, its absence can be fatal. Every type of blood cell created by the bone marrow serves an important purpose.
- The tissues of the body receive oxygen from red blood cells.
- By assisting blood clotting, platelets prevent bleeding.
- White blood cells help fight off infections.
Health conditions and bone marrow
Unfortunately, there are some health conditions that are linked to bone marrow. Many of these illnesses have an impact on the quantity of blood cells made in the bone marrow, and their varied symptoms are wide ranging. These include symptoms like:
- Fever, where there’s a lack of healthy white blood cells.
- Weakness or drowsiness is a result of haemoglobin deficiency (the oxygen-carrying protein found in red blood cells).
- Constant infections stem from a lack of healthy white blood cells, which help fight against infections.
- Breathing problems are caused by a reduced number of red blood cells, resulting in the production of less oxygen that is able reachthus your body's tissues.
- Bruising and bleeding signal that there’s too few healthy platelets present, which are crucial for your blood to clot.
Can I keep bone marrow healthy?
Absolutely! As with everything, great nutrition is the best start. Fill up your diet with protein from lean meat, fish, beans, nuts, eggs and milk. Speak to your doctor about a B vitamin. You may need iron and B12. Most importantly, if you have a health condition, take care to manage it well. Take your medication as prescribed and always go to your doctor if you experience any abnormalities.
Good to know
Bone marrow is found in all of your bones. It’s vital to the body as it contains immune system cells, as well as stem cells that produce blood cells. Stem cells in the bone marrow mature in the body into a variety of cell types, each of which performs a specific function that benefits the body.
Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only. Always check with your doctor or medical practitioner about any health concerns, before embarking on any fitness or nutrition programme, and usage of any medication.