Surprising facts about blood vessels

The heavy lifting our bodies perform daily to help us go about our lives is extraordinary. Healthcare professionals and patients alike know that blood vessels are a key part of the human anatomy. In part, this is because vessels are responsible for carrying the blood that delivers oxygen throughout the body.

From the outside, vessels might seem like just another part of the body carrying out a single function. To the healthcare community, these vessels are essential to enjoying everything good in life–and deserving of the best possible protection.

Consider, for example, that some blood vessels are just five micrometers wide—more than three times thinner than a human hair, according to The Franklin Institute, a science and education center.

Incredibly, blood vessels stretch 60,000 miles throughout your body, the Cleveland Clinic notes. If you were to hop in a car and shrink to the size of these vessels, it would take you nearly 42 days to travel all of them, assuming you kept a steady pace of 60 mph. That’s a long road trip!

Have you ever found yourself asking, “What’s the difference between a blood vessel and an artery?” As it turns out, the phrase “blood vessels” is a catchall term that encompasses three unique systems. Arteries are tubes that carry body away from the heart. Veins, conversely, bring blood back toward the heart, while capillaries are tiny vessels that link arteries and veins together.

If all of this seems rather abstract, be sure to check out some fantastic visuals illustrating how blood vessels work. One of the best places to do this on the internet is Visible Body, which provides information to help readers understand how the body works. There, you’ll find an interactive vein you can view at any angle, along with infographics about vessels and a video showing how capillaries function to transfer oxygen, nutrients and even waste.

The potential of blood vessels is only beginning to be understood. It turns out vessels contain a couple of proteins that help them adjust shape, including one called FMNL3. Scientific research is underway to better understand how this protein operates, which could unlock doors such as helping the body repair the heart after a heart attack, according to the British Heart Foundation.

We tend to take them for granted too much. But now that you know a little more, be sure to think about the humble blood vessels that are doing their jobs behind the scenes to make life possible.