Every September 29, World Heart Day is celebrated, a date in which we want to raise awareness about the care of this vital organ for life. According to the Spanish Heart Foundation, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide . This can be caused by several factors such as smoking, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, air pollution or certain rare diseases such as cardiac amyloidosis and Chagas disease.
The recipe to take care of our heart includes eating correctly, increasing the level of physical activity (at least 30 minutes of intense or moderate physical activity five times a week) and not smoking.
Next, we will tell you a few curiosities about this fascinating organ that beats in our chest without rest.
1. The human heart beats approximately 100,000 times a day
An adult’s heart beats between 60 and 80 times per minute. That of a newborn does it more quickly : about 70 to 190 times per minute. It will also beat faster if we are doing sports instead of lying on the couch, to the point of being able to reach 200 beats per minute.
2. The heart pumps about 8,000 liters of blood
Of these, 22% go to the kidneys and between 15% and 20% go to the brain. The heart sends blood to all our organs and tissues. However, there is a structure that does not receive blood and it is the cornea. If it reached him, we would not be able to see because he would not be able to let the rays of light penetrate the interior of the eye. It is the aqueous humor that supplies the cornea with all the nutrients it needs.
3. The heart can weigh between 200 and 425 grams
The human heart is the size of a large clenched fist. That of men is usually larger than that of women. If the heart of women weighs between 230 and 280 grams, that of men reaches 280-340 grams.
The largest heart in the animal kingdom is that of the blue whale , weighing 680 kilos and the size of a human being! The smallest is owned by members of the Mymaridae family of wasps and is that these animals measure about 0.5 mm on average, so imagine the tiny heart they have.
4. May beat outside the body
The human heart can continue beating for a few hours even when outside the body. If this were not the case, it would not be possible to perform transplants. The heart is an autonomous organ that can contract on its own since it is capable of generating electrical impulses and has special muscle cells.
