Getting to the Heart of Things The Miracle of the Cardiovascular
SystemThe cardiovascular system consists of the heart, the blood
vessels, and the blood itself. Blood is mostly made up of plasma
and red and white blood cells. But it contains many other
substances as well, like platelets, hormones, and nutrients such
as glucose. The cardiovascular system distributes these
substances throughout the body as needed and collects waste
products from your cells for elimination. READ MORE Your child's
heart started beating 6 weeks after conception, and it will
continue to beat about 100,000 times day, resting only between
beats, until the end of his or her life. Its only function is to
circulate the blood that nourishes and sustains every cell. It
pumps the 6 quarts of blood your child`s body contains through
his or her entire circulatory system—over 60,000 miles of
arteries, veins, and capillaries, more than twice the distance
around the equator of the Earth—and it does that three times a
minute. LESS Obesity and Ca