In our abdominal cavity, we have a liver, a spleen, a pancreas, a stomach, a intestine, and–two kidneys. In terms of quantity, kidneys can be said to be a [exotic flower] in abdominal organs, no, two. But have you ever wondered why kidneys grow in such a different way from other organs?
From the perspective of species evolution and embryo development, tens of thousands of words can be written here. However, in this article, I just want to tell you intuitively that the reason why we have two kidneys is that the kidneys are very busy… brothers work together and are not tired.
What does the kidney look like?
The kidneys are located on both sides of the back spine, Below the ribs, their periphery is covered with fat and muscle, which is normally invisible to the hands. The kidney is broad bean-shaped, about the size of a smart phone, and the thickness is equivalent to three or four phones stacked together. The kidney only accounts for about 0.5% of the human body mass. For a person weighing 60 kilograms, the two kidneys add up to about 62.
Kidney is a purification factory.
The primary role of the kidney is the [purification factory] of the human body. When blood flows through the kidney, metabolic waste, excess salt and water in the blood will form urine and be discharged out of the body.
Healthy kidneys are model workers, working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
20-25% of the blood pumped by the heart will flow through the kidney. The kidney can filter about 1 liter of blood per minute and 12 times per hour. The kidney is so efficient that it completely surpasses any water purifier on the market.
At the end of the day, the blood flowing through the kidney will produce 180 liters of [raw urine]. For this 180 liters of raw urine, the kidney will repeatedly carefully select and extract most of the useful components, and finally excrete the remaining 1% out of the body-this is urine. Therefore, the daily urine volume of normal people is 1-2 liters.
Kidney and body have several functions.
In addition to the job of purifying water, kidney has several part-time jobs.
It is good at regulating blood pressure. On the one hand, it regulates the balance of water and salt in the human body and controls the volume of liquid in the human body, thus maintaining normal blood pressure. On the other hand, it releases a hormone that contracts blood vessels and raises blood pressure to ensure blood supply to all corners of the human body.
The kidneys also secrete a hormone that promotes erythropoiesis, It acts on the hematopoietic system of bone marrow, promotes and accelerates the production of red blood cells. If the kidney fails and stops working, anemia will also worsen. In addition, the kidney can also process vitamin D, making it an active substance, which plays a role in the human body, promoting the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in gastrointestinal tract, and maintaining the health and growth of teeth and bones.
Don’t forget, the above huge amount of labor and numerous and complicated functions can be realized by the kidneys the size of those two mobile phones.
Take good care of your kidneys
Now, do you know that you love your kidney?
Remember to feed them more water-the first key to protecting their kidneys is not to make them thirsty.
You know, healthy and industrious kidneys are not afraid of too much work, but they are afraid of not having any work to do. They are strong and delicate lotus flowers. It is no big deal to soak in water. If they are not watered for a long time, they will wither.
Of course, the two kidneys can evenly distribute the workload and reduce their work pressure, but in fact, the kidneys bear hardships and stand hard work far beyond our imagination.
You know, if there is no big deal for the rest of your life, We have enough kidneys for a lifetime, Because, the kidney is an extremely tolerant organ, even with the increase of age, the parts in the kidney slowly age, the renal function will slowly decline, the remaining parts will take over the extra work voluntarily, until the damage degree of the parts reaches more than three quarters, the remaining kidney finally can’t do the work-this is the so-called renal failure.
At this point, smart people should understand a phenomenon: Both donors and recipients of kidney transplants, who have only one kidney, are able to live healthily because they are still a long way from the limit of losing three quarters of their kidney function. In fact, the survival expectations of donors providing unilateral kidneys are not much different from those of the general population.
Thus, the two kidneys are the gift of creation, the wonderful backup and the foundation of dedication.