How Do the Kidneys Work?
The way in which the kidneys work is pretty fascinating. These bean-shaped, fist-sized organs filter the blood in your body to remove wastes and to maintain proper levels of various substances in the blood. As one might imagine, the kidneys provide a valuable function in the body, ensuring that wastes do not accumulate, potentially causing health problems. As a result, a malfunctioning kidney is a cause for serious concern. About 20% of the blood pumped out by the heart goes directly to the kidneys via the renal artery. Once the blood enters the kidneys, it is pumped up into the nephrons, tiny structures which filter the blood. Cleaned blood is sent out from the renal vein, returning to the heart for circulation to the rest of the body, while waste products drain to the bladder through the ureters. These organs are equipped to handle a very high volume of blood every 24 hours, and kidneys can even adapt to do the job independently, in the event that one kidney fails or is removed. When
The body takes nutrients from food and converts them to energy. After the body has taken the food that it needs, waste products are left behind in the bowel and in the blood. The kidneys and urinary system keep chemicals, such as potassium and sodium, and water in balance, and remove a type of waste, called urea, from the blood. Urea is produced when foods containing protein, such as meat, poultry, and certain vegetables, are broken down in the body. Urea is carried in the bloodstream to the kidneys. Two kidneys, a pair of purplish-brown organs, are located below the ribs toward the middle of the back. Their function is to: • remove liquid waste from the blood in the form of urine • keep a stable balance of salts and other substances in the blood • produce erythropoietin, a hormone that aids the formation of red blood cells. • regulate blood pressure The kidneys remove urea from the blood through tiny filtering units called nephrons. Each nephron consists of a ball formed of small bloo
Click Image to Enlarge The body takes nutrients from food and converts them to energy. After the body has taken the food that it needs, waste products are left behind in the bowel and in the blood. The kidneys and urinary system keep chemicals, such as potassium and sodium, and water in balance, and remove a type of waste, called urea, from the blood. Urea is produced when foods containing protein, such as meat, poultry, and certain vegetables, are broken down in the body. Urea is carried in the bloodstream to the kidneys. Two kidneys, a pair of purplish-brown organs, are located below the ribs toward the middle of the back. Their function is to: • remove liquid waste from the blood in the form of urine • keep a stable balance of salts and other substances in the blood • produce erythropoietin, a hormone that aids the formation of red blood cells • regulate blood pressure The kidneys remove urea from the blood through tiny filtering units called nephrons. Each nephron consists of a bal
The body takes nutrients from food and converts them to energy. After the body has taken the food that it needs, waste products are left behind in the bowel and in the blood. The kidneys and urinary system keep chemicals, such as potassium and sodium, and water in balance by removing a type of waste, called urea, from the blood. Urea is produced when foods containing protein, such as meat, poultry, and certain vegetables, are broken down in the body. Urea is carried in the bloodstream to the kidneys. Two kidneys, a pair of purplish-brown organs, are located below the ribs toward the middle of the back. Their function is to: • remove liquid waste from the blood in the form of urine • keep a stable balance of salts and other substances in the blood • produce erythropoietin, a hormone that aids the formation of red blood cells. The kidneys remove urea from the blood through tiny filtering units called nephrons. There are about one million nephrons in each kidney, located in the medulla an
The body takes nutrients from food and converts them to energy. After the body has taken the food that it needs, waste products are left behind in the bowel and in the blood. The kidneys and urinary system keep chemicals, such as potassium and sodium, and water in balance, and remove a type of waste, called urea, from the blood. Urea is produced when foods containing protein, such as meat, poultry, and certain vegetables, are broken down in the body. Urea is carried in the bloodstream to the kidneys. Two kidneys, a pair of purplish-brown organs, are located below the ribs toward the middle of the back. Their function is to: • remove liquid waste from the blood in the form of urine • keep a stable balance of salts and other substances in the blood • produce erythropoietin, a hormone that aids the formation of red blood cells • regulate blood pressure The kidneys remove urea from the blood through tiny filtering units called nephrons. Each nephron consists of a ball formed of small blood
