When you stand with your hands at your sides,
just below your ribcage, your thumbs rest at the lower edges of your
kidneys. They are reddish-brown and shaped like a bean, and are
about as long as your hand from wrist to fingertips.
Kidneys play a vital role in keeping you healthy. They:
-take wastes and excess water out of your blood so body functions properly
-help regulate your blood pressure and the acidity of your blood
Kidneys play a vital role in keeping you healthy. They:
-take wastes and excess water out of your blood so body functions properly
-help regulate your blood pressure and the acidity of your blood
-cause your bones to make red blood cells
-help regulate minerals such as potassium, sodium, chloride, and calcium
and other substances in your blood, and
-make hormones to keep your bones strong.
Did you know...?
You can live a healthy life with just one kidney, but most people are born with two. A healthy adult has about a million tiny filtering units (called nephrons) in each kidney -- a lot more than you need to be healthy. You only need about 200,000 functioning nephrons.
-make hormones to keep your bones strong.
Did you know...?
You can live a healthy life with just one kidney, but most people are born with two. A healthy adult has about a million tiny filtering units (called nephrons) in each kidney -- a lot more than you need to be healthy. You only need about 200,000 functioning nephrons.
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