Obesity and the Cardiovascular System

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Recommended: Arteries veins and capillaries in the body

Obesity and the Cardiovascular System

The main function of the cardiovascular/circulatory system is to

continuously pump blood around the body. It consists of the heart,

arteries, veins and the capillary network of arterioles and venules.

The capillary network is vast consisting of 62,000 miles of blood

vessels. Any blockages in cardiovascular system can be very dangerous

to our health, even fatal.

The heart, the body's pump, has 2 compartments separated by a septum.

Each compartment contains 2 chambers, atrium and ventricle. The right

side pumps de-oxygenated blood to the lungs (pulmonary circulation)

and left side oxygenated blood to all other organs and tissues

(systemic circulation).

The heart is made up of a special kind of muscle - myogenic/cardiac

muscle which contract automatically and rhythmically.

The diagram below shows compartments of the heart in more detail.

Heart, Section Through the Middle

Blood used by the body returns through the veins to the right

compartment (pulmonary circulation) of the heart via the inferior and

superior cava, (these are large veins). This blood is then pumped by

the heart to the lungs, where carbon dioxide is removed and blood is

oxygenated. This blood is then returned back to the left compartment

of the heart via 4 pulmonary veins, where it will be pumped to all

other cells in the body including the heart itself. The left side of

the heart has a thicker more muscular wall because it has to pump

blood much further, around the entire body.

The movement of blood through the heart is governed by its

sophisticated structure. Between the atrium and ventricle on both

sides of ...

... middle of paper ...

...ieved.

Bibliography

Human Biology & health studies - Authors Peter Givens & Michael Reiss

Nutrition - A practical approach - Suzane Le Quesne

AQA Coordinated Science - Life Processes - Edited by Richard Parsons

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002449htm - 21 Oct 04

http://www.nutristrategy.com/health.htm - 21 Oct 04

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2002/02/7869.shtml 21 Oct 04

Word count excluding quotes 1892.

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[1] http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002449htm 13

October 04

[2] Nutrition - A practical approach - Suzane Le Quesne

[3] Nutrition - A practical approach - Suzane Le Quesne.

[4] Nutrition - A practical approach - Suzane Le Quesne.

[5] http://www.nutristrategy.com/health.htm

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