The heart is a very important organ in the human body and is responsible for pumping blood to different parts of the body. The veins carry blood out of the heart, whilst the arteries carry blood into the heart. The coronary arteries are the vessels responsible for carrying blood from the lungs back to the heart.
Yes! These are all basic facts that you know about the heart. You’ve probably read it from a big anatomy book that you found in a library or probably you might have been taught about the heart during your high school biology class.
But there are also amazing and important facts about the heart that you most likely wouldn’t find in those books. We’ve listed them here, so brace yourself: you might find some of them a bit surprising.
1. Your heart is not red
We all grew up with that simplistic imagination that our hearts are red. And even as we grew up to be adults, we’ve just reasoned that since the blood that the heart pumps around is red, then our heart should be red too.
Well the here’s the truth: Even though the blood that goes in and out of your heart is red, your heart isn’t red at all. The heart is darker and browner than the blood that it pumps. The real color of the heart is similar to the color of a colonial brick house. Furthermore, the surface of the heart is covered by fat deposits and this makes the heart look yellow.
2. Male and female hearts differ
Though from the outward view they both look alike, there’s a different between the two. For starters, the heart of the average male weighs more than that of the average female. A man’s heart would weigh 10 ounces on average while that of a woman would be around 8 ounces. Also, an average woman’s heart beats faster than that of a man. The average heart rate of a man is 70 beats/minute, while that of a woman is 78 beats/minute.
3. A common cold can damage your heart
Chances are that you’ve read that blockage of the arteries can damage the heart, but you most likely haven’t heard or read that the viruses that cause common cold can also weaken your heart. This condition is called viral cardiomyopathy. The damage however is not permanent. Your heart slowly recovers its function once the virus runs its course.
4. Your heart can still beat even if it’s outside your body
As absurd as this may sound, it’s actually true. Your heart has its own electrical system that allows it to beat as long as it continues to receive oxygen.
5. You can really have a “broken heart”
This is not just a phrase used in love movies, it’s actually a real thing. Though of course, the heart cannot physically be broken, emotions and stress can cause your body to release certain hormones that can paralyze it under certain conditions. This is called “broken heart syndrome” or “takotsubo’s cardiomyopathy”. The stress that triggers this can be death of a loved one, loss of money, stage fright. But fortunately this only last for a while.
Conclusion
It’s always important to know more about your health and body, especially your heart. Like the saying goes, no knowledge is wasted. Remember that heart disease and other complications are accumulated through long term poor lifestyle choices, and it is never to early to start making the right ones.
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