Category — About Body Systems

The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of the body. It is capable of obtaining energy and processing nutrients. It is the smallest part capable of the processes that define life, including reproduction, movement, respiration, digestion and excretion. However, not every cell has all these abilities.

How small is a cell? Believe it or not, you can actually fit about 40 cells in a row stretched across a period (full stop)! There are more than 200 types of specialized cells that populate the human body. Some cells develop with their own kinds to form a specific types of tissue and in some other cases, tissues are made of several different types of cells combined.

Types of Human Cells

Cells come in many shapes and sizes, depending on their specialized functions within tissues. Some cells divide faster than others, for example, the epithelial (covering and lining) cells divide the fastest while the nerve cells is so slow that it is almost non-existent.

Examples of cell types:

• Epithelial Cells

These cells form the skin, cover most organs and line hollow cavities. They divide rapidly to replace
themselves because they are subjected to friction, compression and physical wear.

• Photoreceptor Cell

A light-sensitive cell that shapes like a cone. It is found in the retina of the eye. They are activated by
bright light and are responsible for color perception.

• Red Blood Cell

The red cell is a bag of oxygen-carrying hemoglobin molecules.

• Adipose (Fats) Cell

These cells are bulky and crammed with fat lipids which store energy in case the diet cannot meet
requirements.

• Smooth Muscle Cell

These are large, elongated, spindle-like shaped muscle fibers cells. The shape allows for contraction
by means of sliding strands of protein inside.

• Nerve Cells

This elongated-shaped cell’s basic function is to transmit information rapidly between different parts of the body.

• Sperm Cells

A sperm cell is a male reproductive cell containing a single set of 23 chromosomes. They contain half the DNA genetic information of the person. These cells do not divide and have a limited life span.

• Ovum (egg) Cells

It is the reproductive cell of the female. Like the sperm cell of the male, it contains a set of 23 chromosomes and half the DNA genetic information of the person.

I have made this subject as my 1st post simply because one cannot fully understand the nature of degenerative diseases without knowing how our body works. Bear with me for a while as I take you back to our Biology 101 class for a review of our human anatomy.

The human anatomy is an assemble of cells, tissues, organs and they grouped together into an integrated of different systems with each of them carries out a major role or task such as to protect, support, control and feed the body, keeping the body in a state of internal balance under constantly changing circumstances. This can be summarized in the following diagram as:

The human body systems work together as a true cooperative – each one fulfills its own vital function but all work together to maintain health and efficiency. Although these systems can be described as separate entities, each depends on on all others for physical and physiological support. The body systems are consists of:

1. Skeletal System
2. Muscular System
3. Nervous System
4. Skin, Hair and Nails System
5. Lymphatic and Immune System
6. Endocrine System
7. Cardiovascular System
8. Respiratory System
9. Digestive System
10. Urinary System
11. Reproductive System

The cells are the building blocks of the human body. They are active and dynamic, they continually grow and specialize, function, die and replenish themselves, by the millions every second. There are many different types of cells and they grouped together to form tissues – a collection of similar cells that group together to perform a specialized function. Organs are then formed by the functional grouping together of multiple tissues. The body systems are, in turn, composed of organs.

Once we understood the body structure, we need to turn to its physiology side, that is, the study of the body’s workings and how it functions. It investigates the workings of such processes as enzyme action, hormone stimulation, DNA synthesis, and how the body stores and uses energy from food. Only through physiology that we can understand how degenerative diseases came about and how we can use supplements to prevent, treat or alleviate them.