could make up a whole chapter in the Guinness Book of Records. Among them there are record holders who can surprise any skeptic. In addition to the fact that bones protect internal organs and form a skeleton to which muscles and ligaments are attached, due to which a person makes various movements, they produce leukocytes and red blood cells. Over 70 years of life, they supply the body with 650 kg of red blood cells and 1 ton of leukocytes.

1. Each person has an individual number of bones. No academician can answer exactly how many there are in the body. The fact is that some people have “extra” bones - the sixth finger, cervical ribs, and with age, the bones can fuse and become larger. At birth, a baby has more than 300 bones, which allows it to pass through more easily. birth canal. Over the years small seeds grow together, and in an adult there are more than 200 of them.
2. Bones don't white . The natural color of bones has tones of a brown palette from beige to light brown. In the museum you can often find white specimens; this is achieved by cleaning and boiling them.

   

3. Bones is the only one hard material in organism. They are stronger than steel, but much lighter. If we were made of steel bones, then the weight of the skeleton would reach 240 kg.

   

4. The most long bone in the body - femoral. It makes up ¼ of a person’s total height and can withstand pressure loads of up to 1500 kg.

   

5. The femur grows in width. As you gain weight, it thickens, which allows it not to bend or break under the weight of a person.

   

6. The smallest and lightest bones are the auditory ones - anvil, malleus, stirrup.. Each of them weighs only 0.02 g. These are the only bones that do not change their size from birth.

   

7. The strongest bone is the tibia. It is the bones of the legs that hold the record for strength, since they must not only withstand the weight of the owner, but also carry him from place to place. The tibia can withstand up to 4 thousand kg in compression, while the femur can withstand up to 3 thousand kg.

   

8. The most fragile bones in humans are the ribs.. 5–8 pairs do not have connecting cartilages, so even with a moderate impact they can break.

   

9. The most “bony” part of the body is the hands along with the wrists. It consists of 54 bones, thanks to which a person plays the piano, smartphone, and writes.

   

10. Children don't have kneecaps . In a child under 3 years old, instead of a cup there is soft cartilage, which hardens over time. This process is called ossification.

    

11. An extra rib is a common anomaly in humans.. Every 20th person grows an extra pair. An adult usually has 24 ribs (12 pairs), but sometimes one or more pairs of ribs grow from the base of the neck, which are called cervical ribs. In men, this anomaly occurs 3 times more often than in women. Sometimes it causes health problems.

    

12. Bones are constantly renewed. Bone renewal occurs continuously, so it contains both old and new cells at the same time. On average, a complete update takes 7–10 years. Over the years, the process slows down, which affects the condition of the bones. They become fragile and thin.

    

13. Hyoid bone - autonomous. Each bone is connected to other bones, forming a complete skeleton, except for the hyoid. It has a horseshoe shape and is located between the chin and the thyroid cartilage. Thanks to the hyoid, palatine bones and jaws, a person speaks and chews.

    

14. The most broken bone is the collarbone. According to WHO statistics, thousands of people of various professions and leading different lifestyles are treated with a fracture every day. Often, during a difficult birth, a newborn baby gets a fractured collarbone.

    

15. Eiffel Tower "prototype" tibia. The head of the tibia is covered with miniature bones. They are located in a strict geometric sequence, which allows it not to break under the weight of the body. Eiffel built his tower in Paris based on the structure of a bone. What’s interesting is that even the angles match between the supporting structures.

    

12 interesting facts about human bones / Figures and facts / Helcyclopedia

1. The hardness of bone depends on lime. In an adult it is 70% skeleton, and in old people almost 85% .

2. Newborns have about 300 bones, which over time is reduced to 206. This mechanism is laid down by nature in order to facilitate the process of the child passing through the birth canal. As we age, bones harden and join together.

3. In the morning, a person’s height is higher than in the evening, by about 1 cm. This is explained by the fact that when we sit, stand, and walk, the cartilage between the bones shrinks a little.

Human bones are very strong; they can withstand compression loads better than tension loads. Compressive strength is 1.5 times higher than tensile strength. This is explained by the fact that the body is constantly affected by the earth's gravity.

At birth, a child's skeleton contains 300 bones. With age, their number decreases to 206. This anatomical “oddity” has a simple explanation. The fact is that even after 9 months spent in the womb, the child’s skeleton remains not fully formed. Some bones (such as some skull bones) are made up of several composite bones (softer ones) that later fuse together to form one. A larger number of bones and their flexibility make it easier for the baby to pass through the birth canal.

Interesting Facts:

• Tooth enamel is the most hard fabric, which can be produced by the body.
• Even considering that calcium is necessary, including for bone tissue, 99% calcium is found in teeth.
• Some studies prove that 2,500 years ago, the Mayan people (men) decorated their teeth with precious and semi-precious metals and stones. By this they showed the strength of their individual.

Bone Strength

Human bone is stronger some types of steel and 5 times stronger reinforced concrete. However, this does not mean that your bones cannot break.

The comb ends at the bottom nasal spine, spina nasalis, on each side of which there is a small uneven area that participates in the formation of the upper wall of the corresponding half of the nasal cavity. The nasal spine is also involved in the formation of the bony nasal septum; in front it connects with the crests of the nasal bones, and in the back with the perpendicular plate of the ethmoid bone.

The edges of the ethmoidal notch are formed by half-cells, which, when connected on a solid skull with the corresponding half-cells of the ethmoid bone, form an air-filled ethmoid labyrinth.

Between the ethmoidal half-cells, two grooves pass in the transverse direction, which, together with the grooves of the same name in the ethmoid bone, form tubules - anterior and posterior, which open on inner wall eye sockets respectively anterior ethmoidal foramen, foramen ethmoidae anterius(the nasociliary nerve and anterior ethmoidal vessels pass through it) and posterior ethmoidal opening, foramen ethmoidae posterius(posterior ethmoidal nerve and vessels). Anterior to the ethmoidal notch, on both sides of the nasal spine, there is aperture frontal sinus , apertura sinus frontalis.

9. The collarbone is the most commonly broken bone.

8. 25% of human bones are in the legs, more than in any other part of the body.

Svetlana Kurochkina, Samogo.Net

Legs make up 25% of all bones You may not take much care of your feet. But this is the basis of our health. They bear the brunt of it, both literally and figuratively: they suffer from excessive static loads, varicose veins, swell, in a word, they require increased attention. Of the 200 bones, 52 are in the legs.

Human bones

Strength is the ability of a material to withstand an applied external destructive force. The strength limit of bones depends on the architectonics and density of the bone tissue itself. Shape of each bone human body(macroscopic design), determined by the need to withstand the greatest load in a certain part of the skeleton. If there is not enough calcium in the human body, then the bones are easily compressed, bent and twisted. And with an excess of calcium, bones become fragile.

Human bones are very strong; they can withstand compression loads better than tension loads. Compressive strength is 1.5 times higher than tensile strength. This is explained by the fact that the body is constantly affected by the earth's gravity.

The tensile strength of bones is 3 times greater than the tensile strength of wood (with longitudinal load on the fibers) and 9 times that of lead. And under compression - 5 times more than the tensile strength of wood and 7 times more than the tensile strength of concrete. 1 square mm of bone tissue in cross section can withstand a tensile load of up to 12 kg and a compressive load of up to 16 kg.

Humans have more than 200 bones

Considered the most durable femur, its strength is 132 MPa in tension along the longitudinal axis and 58 MPa perpendicular to it. Under the action of compressive force, the strength of this bone is 187 MPa and 132 MPa, respectively. That is, it will take about 3000 kg to crush this bone under pressure.

Bone strength

In an adult healthy person The tensile strength of femur is the same as that of cast iron. This bone can withstand bending loads of up to 2500 N.

According to studies conducted in the last century, the femur can withstand a load of 7787 Ncm2. and 5500 Ncm sq. for compression and tension, respectively. And the tibia is 1650 Ncm2, and this can be compared with the mass of more than 20 people.

It’s hard to say where the excuse “I have a big bone” came from. But you can publish a text about how much the skeleton weighs and how much its weight can vary from person to person. different people.

Dry, fat-free and dehydrated human skeleton(that is, what will remain of you and me in this world) average weighs only about 4 kg for men and about 2.8 kg for women. In percentage terms, the skeleton occupies approximately 6-7% of the body weight of an adult.

Bone density makes adjustments

We all know from the school curriculum what density is - and so, with the same volumes, the skeletons of different people can have slightly different weights, i.e. Some people will have denser bones, some less. How big a difference can there be and what does it depend on?

Bone mineral density can change with age (including due to osteoporosis), with concomitant diseases, nutrition (decreases with poor nutrition, and vice versa - with sufficient nutrition). Bone density also depends on weight loss or weight gain: scientists have calculated that For every 1 kg of body fat lost, an average of about 16.5 g of bone minerals is lost, in fact, when gaining the same 1 kg of fat, approximately the same amount is restored (Jensen et al., 1994,), against the background of the existing training volume.

Here are the average normal values bone density, including data on athletes and athletes who are developing bone adaptation to impact loading, and an approximate calculation of the difference in grams between these values, so that you can clearly understand what bone mass density actually means for overall bone/skeletal weight .

Data on bone density in adults (173 people, 18-31 years), different types sports: runners (R), cyclists (C), triathletes (TRI), judokas and wrestlers (HA), football and handball players and basketball and volleyball players (TS), student athletes, non-specialized in sports (STU), and non-training (UT) ).

Average values ​​for bone mass density in adults are in the region of 1.0 – 1.2 g/cm2. Roughly speaking, this can be translated as +/-10% for different people depending on the factor.

These values ​​vary depending on age, gender, race, level and type physical activity, nutritional status, body condition, presence of diseases, etc. But on average, it’s something like this.

Data on skeletal weight and bone density of people of different age groups:

BMC – skeletal weight in grams, BMD – bone density in g/cm2. BF – black women, WF – white women. BM – black men, WM – white men.

Let's take the data from the last table as an example and take the boundary values: the most low density bones (in white women, the case of the lowest density is 1.01 g/cm2) and the highest bone density (in a dark-skinned man, the case of the highest density is 1.42 g/cm2). This gives us the difference between the person with the lowest (lightest bones among hundreds of subjects) and the person with the most high density bones (the heaviest bones of all) are only about 0.7 kg with an average skeleton weight.

By the way, even growth hormone does not make significant adjustments to bone density. Scientists conducted a controlled 15-year study in which growth hormone injections were given to more than 100 people. Bottom line: over 15 years, the average increase in bone mass was only 14 grams.

Wide but light

Ultimately, what we have is that the total mass of human bones, excluding fat and liquid content, is something like 4-5 kg ​​in adult men and 2-3 kg in adult women.

Within these same boundaries, the mass may fluctuate, depending on the bone mass density, but again this difference will not be so significant, in any case - up to 1 kg, depending on the bone mass density.

By and large, talk about “broad bones”, “powerful backbone”, which radically influence total weight human body, on “fat power” and genetic predisposition to increased weight gain, in fact, are not entirely comparable with the real state of affairs.

Yes, the difference in height and build certainly produces its own shifts in various indicators of bone mass from person to person, but these indicators do not differ by 5-10 kilograms, but amount to on average no more than 2-3 kg from person to person.

1. Jensen, L.B., F. Quaade, and O.H. Sorensen 1994. Bone loss accompanying voluntary weight loss in obese humans. J. Bone Miner. Res. 9:459–463.
2. “Dear Lyle...”: bone density and training” by Znatok Ne.
3. Trotter M, Hixon BB. Sequential changes in weight, density, and percentage ash weight of human skeletons from an early fetal period through old age. Anat Rec. 1974 May;179(1):1-18.
4. Schuna JM Jr et al. Scaling of adult regional body mass and body composition as a whole to height: Relevance to body shape and body mass index. Am J Hum Biol. 2015 May-Jun;27(3):372-9. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.22653. Epub 2014 Nov 8.
5. Wagner DR, Heyward VH. Measurements of body composition in blacks and whites: a comparative review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Jun;71(6):1392-402.
6. Nilsson M, Ohlsson C, Mellström D, Lorentzon M. Sport-specific association between exercise loading and the density, geometry, and microstructure of weight-bearing bone in young adult men. Osteoporos Int. 2013 May;24(5):1613-22. doi:10.1007/s00198-012-2142-3. Epub 2012 Sep 26.
7. Petra Platen et al. Bone Mineral Density in Top Level Male Athletes of Different Sports. European Journal of Sport Science, vol. 1, issue 5, ©2001 by Human Kinetics Publishers and the European College of Sport Science
8. Rothney MP et al. Body composition measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry half-body scans in obese adults. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009 Jun;17(6):1281-6. doi: 10.1038/oby.2009.14. Epub 2009 Feb 19.
9. Tomlinson DJ et al. Obesity decreases both whole muscle and fascicle strength in young females but only exacerbates the aging-related whole muscle level asthenia. Physiol Rep. 2014 Jun 24;2(6). pii: e12030. doi: 10.14814/phy2.12030.
10. Human Body Composition, b.918, Steven Heymsfield, Human Kinetics, 2005, p-291.
11. Elbornsson M1, Götherström G, Bosæus I, Bengtsson BÅ, Johannsson G, Svensson J. Fifteen years of GH replacement increases bone mineral density in hypopituitary patients with adult-onset GH deficiency. Eur J Endocrinol. 2012 May;166(5):787-95. doi: 10.1530/EJE-11-1072. Epub 2012 Feb 8.
12. Locatelli V, Bianchi VE. Effect of GH/IGF-1 on Bone Metabolism and Osteoporsosis. Int J Endocrinol. 2014;2014:235060. doi: 10.1155/2014/235060. Epub 2014 Jul 23

VIVA CALCIUM, or how to avoid the fate of Semyon Semenych

“Slipped. Fell. Lost consciousness. Woke up - a cast,” - so simply, in one phrase, Semyon Semenovich Gorbunkov, the hero of the popularly beloved film, explained to those around him his broken arm. Remembering all the adventures of the hero that followed the unfortunate turning point, one involuntarily wants to smile and joke. However, when this happens in real life, we have no time for jokes. We begin to look for an answer to the question: “Why did this happen to me?”

So why do some people have very strong bones, while others have fragile ones? Why are boxers, for example, able to withstand the strongest blows, while others break their arms and legs simply by falling out of bed at night?

The main reason is the amount of calcium in the body: the lower the calcium level, the more bones are susceptible to destruction. The condition of bone tissue is also influenced by factors such as a person’s lifestyle and nutrition. To maintain healthy bone tissue, a complex of 20 different microelements is required. And with a chronic lack of these substances, osteoporosis develops.

Osteoporosis - age-related disease, as a result of which the bones lose calcium, the skeleton becomes thinner, and the likelihood of fractures increases.

Calcium loss occurs over a long period, unnoticeably, without external manifestations. In most cases, the disease is detected after the fracture has occurred.

The process of restoration and renewal of bones is ongoing - both day and night. Bone mass in adults reaches its peak at age 30, after which it begins to decline, and bone mass becomes lighter and lighter with age.

Research shows that by age 50, many of us are in real danger of losing up to 25% of our bone mass due to osteoporosis.

Every seven to ten years, the skeleton of an adult is completely renewed. This means that if you are now thirty, your skeletal system has changed for the third or even fourth time. The question naturally arises: if our bones are renewed and replaced, then why don’t new teeth grow to replace the pulled out teeth?

Do not be misled by the statement that the human skeleton is renewed every 10 years. "New" does not mean "equal". The density of bone tissue decreases every year, the new structure gradually weakens, the bones become lighter and more fragile. Compare this process with age-related changes your skin, and you will understand what is happening to your skeletal system In fact!

WHO IS IN THE RISK GROUP?

Anyone can develop osteoporosis, but it happens more often in women than in men because women have much less developed bone mass. With age, due to hormonal changes, the amount of calcium in the body decreases significantly. Today, every third elderly woman suffers from brittle bones.

But in Lately Osteoporosis, a disease characteristic of old age, has become significantly “younger” and is now often found in young people. Research shows that every fifth girl consumes much less calcium in food than needed.

How to prevent the development of osteoporosis?

The main culprits of the disease are a diet poor in milk proteins, abuse of coffee and carbonated drinks, and lack of calcium. Millions of people consume huge amounts of calorie-free food, the calcium content of which is reduced or reduced to zero. Coffee, carbonated drinks, alcohol, smoking, red meat and salt are real calcium stealers and increase the risk of early osteoporosis. Therefore, after 35 years, you should reduce your coffee consumption to 2 cups a day, and do 20 minutes of exercise every day. physical exercise and include calcium in your diet.

Calcium can be easily obtained from food... Ideally, yes, but, unfortunately, coffee and alcohol destroy calcium reserves, and foods with excessive fat and fiber slow down the process of its absorption by the body. Fasting, strict diets and irregular eating also lead to the loss of this vital important mineral. Only 20-30% of calcium obtained from food is absorbed by the body, the rest is excreted through the process of natural self-purification. But vitamin D can significantly increase the body's absorption of calcium.

Calciferol- the second name for vitamin D. Its main function is the regulation of calcium metabolism in the body. With the assistance of vitamin D, calcium is absorbed in the intestines, absorbed and forms the skeleton. The same vitamin promotes the release of calcium from bones when there is a lack of it in the blood. Taking vitamin D in combination with calcium slows down the development of osteoporosis. Vitamin D is produced in the body under the influence of sun rays. For those who rarely go outside, as well as those living in regions with unfavorable natural conditions, you should remember the need to replenish your body's supply of vitamin D.

A person's need for calcium remains throughout his life. Every day an adult should consume at least 800 mg of calcium (this approximately corresponds to its content in 1.2 liters of milk). Women, according to nutritionists, need one and a half times more of this mineral to ensure that their bones are always strong. A woman's need for calcium especially increases during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

Calcium in nature

Calcium is a natural microelement found in abundance in the bowels of the earth and living organisms. In nature, calcium is always found in various natural compounds. One of these most commonly found compounds is calcium carbonate, or chalk. It can be used in food.

Calcium in the body

A person cannot do without calcium. 99% of all calcium in the body is found in the bones and only 1% in the blood. However, the importance of this percentage is difficult to overestimate. It affects the rhythm of the heart, muscle contraction, and information transmission nervous system, regulates blood clotting. Circulatory system cannot do without calcium, so as soon as the body begins to lack calcium, it borrows it from the bones. If such borrowing occurs constantly, it leads to the development of osteoporosis - bone tissue becomes thinner and becomes dangerously fragile.

Sources of microelements important for bone health:

Calcium- cheese, sardines, salmon, broccoli, tofu, legumes and sesame seeds, green vegetables.

Magnesium- dates, lemon, grapefruit, sprouted wheat grains, nuts, seeds.

Vitamin D- herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines, tuna.

Zinc- crabs, lean meat, sesame and pumpkin seeds, nuts, brewer's yeast, sardines, barley, oatmeal.

Vitamin C- guava, Brussels sprouts, pepper, kiwi, papaya, mango, broccoli, strawberries.

Bor- green leafy vegetables, fruits.

Vitamin K - cauliflower(raw), kale, peas, tomato, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, beans, yogurt.

Experts advise...

The best way strengthening bones - regular exercise with weight lifting, running. No less effective means is a daily 30-minute walk at a brisk pace.

Sun: Sunlight helps the body produce vitamin D, which is necessary for the absorption of calcium.

Food: Eat more vegetables, fruits, salads and reduce your intake of animal proteins. This will allow you to maintain normal level acidity in the stomach. It is advisable to replace meat with fish.

Beverages: Typically, carbonated drinks contain significant amounts of phosphate, which helps leach calcium from bones. Since carbonated drinks negatively affect the process of bone formation, children should limit their consumption.

Basic acids: Omega-3 fatty acid in fish, sunflower and safflower oils promote the absorption of calcium.

Limiting sugar, cigarettes, alcohol: sugar, nicotine, and alcohol cause an imbalance of estrogen/progesterone in the body, which, in turn, negatively affects the process of bone renewal.

“Take care of your hand, Senya,” Gesha Kozodoev said instructively to Semyon Semenovich. And he was right, but it’s too late. Take care bone tissue now to avoid anecdotal but unpleasant situations in the future. They can actually be easily avoided. You just need to take care of your body and balanced diet. How to do this - you now know.