Amazing facts about the human heart
Every Valentine’s Day homes and
businesses dress up their decor
with cupids and hearts to celebrate
a day all about love and affection.
The heart shape has been used to symbolically
represent the human heart
as the center of emotion and romantic
love. Hearts symbolizing love can be
traced back to the Middle Ages.
Those familiar with human anatomy
realize that an actual heart bares
very little resemblance to the ideographic
heart shape used in art and
imagery. Similarly, the human heart
really has nothing to do with human
emotions. Despite this, there are many
interesting components of the heart,
and a man or woman truly cannot love
or live without one.
The heart as an organ is relatively
small in size. It is roughly the size of a
fi st and weighs only 11 ounces on average.
Although diminutive, the heart
is responsible for pumping 2,000 gallons
of blood through 60,000 miles of
blood vessels each day. It accomplishes
this by beating 72 times a minute in
a healthy adult. All of the cells in the
body receive blood except for the corneas
in the eye.
The heart works harder than any
other muscle in the body. In a fetus,
Caribbean L 20 ife, February 4-10, 2022
it begins beating at four weeks after
conception and will not stop until
a person’s time of death. Even then,
sometimes the heart can be revived. A
heart can also continue to beat outside
of the body provided it has an adequate
oxygen supply.
Although many people refer to
all of the blood vessels in their body
as “veins,” they’re actually a combination
of veins and arteries. Veins
carry fresh, oxygenated blood to the
body through arteries. The main artery
leaving the left heart ventricle is
called the aorta, while the main artery
leaving the right ventricle is known
as the pulmonary artery. Blood traveling
back to the heart fl ows through
veins after it has passed the lungs to
pick up oxygen. The thumping noise
that is heard while the heart is beating
is actually the chambers of the heart
closing and opening as blood fl ows
through.
While the heart may not be the cornerstone
of emotions, it can be affected
by feelings. Studies have shown that a
“broken heart” is a real occurrence,
according to Live Science. Bad news
or a breakup with a loved one can put
a person at increased risk for heart
attack. This type of trauma releases
stress hormones into the body that can
stun the heart. Chest pain and shortness
of breath ensue but can be remedied
after some rest.
Conversely, laughter and positive
feelings can be benefi cial for the heart.
Research has shown that a good laughing
fi t can cause the lining of the blood
vessel walls — called the endothelium
— to relax. This helps increase blood
fl ow for up to 45 minutes afterward.
Although having a big heart colloquially
means that a person is loving
and goes out of his way for others,
physically speaking, a big heart is unhealthy.
An enlarged heart can be a
sign of heart disease and compromise
the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively.
Left untreated, it can lead to
heart failure.
There is good reason to get amorous
with a loved one on Valentine’s
Day or other times during the month.
Being intimate can provide a physical
workout, in some instances doubling a
person’s heart rate and burning up to
200 calories. That’s the equivalent of a
brisk 15-minute run. Also, a study of
2,500 men aged 49 to 54 found having
an orgasm at least three times a week
can cut the likelihood of death from
coronary disease in half, according
to The New England Journal of Medicine.
The heart is an amazing organ responsible
for sustaining life. Although
it is not directly tied to love and emotions,
without the heart such feelings
wouldn’t be possible.
— American Heart Association
Getty Images
Heart Health
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