The Cells' Sacrifice to Keep You Healthy

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Most of us don't think about the challenging life of some of our body cells.  Many of them have extremely short life spans working 24 hours a day in hazardous environments.

For us to stay alive, a bit of us has to die every day.  A substantial fraction of the cells in your body are programmed to commit suicide.  Cell death is just as essential as cell division in making sure that our bodies have the right numbers of cells in the right places.

Today for example your liver and spleen will get rid of about a 100 billion aging red blood cells as well as a few white cells whose "best before" date has expired.  Blood platelet live only 10 days, and white blood cells live from a few days to several months.

In a week you will have replaced most of your stomach lining.  The cells in your stomach have to be replaced every few days because they are in such a lethal location, constantly bathed in acids.  Rapid loss of your summer tan bears testimony to the fact that our entire epidermis sheds about once a month.

However many important cells have to last us a lifetime.  The cells in the lens of your eye and your heart muscle never divide and cannot be replaced.  Take care of them because what you start with is all you get for your entire life.

So next time you look in the mirror, be thankful for the wonderful plan that programs the life span of every cell.