Learn about the heaviest parts of your body

Learn about the heaviest parts of your body

Each organ in the human body is made up of a group of tissues that work together to perform a specific task in the body, such as digesting nutrients or producing chemical messengers that enable brain cells to communicate. Although scientists have different views on what exactly counts as an organ, the most cited number of organs in the human body is 78, including major functional units such as the brain and heart, as well as smaller body parts, such as the tongue.

According to Live Science, the human body's organs come in all shapes and sizes to reflect the myriad of important functions they perform. But which part of the body weighs the most? You may be surprised when you know the answer to this question, as follows:

Skin

The skin wears the crown of the heaviest organ in the human body, but there is some discrepancy as to how much it actually weighs. Some sources indicate that adults carry an average of 3.6 kg of skin, while other sources say that skin constitutes about 16% of the total body weight of adults, in this case if a person weighs 77 kg for example, then his skin will weigh about 12.3 kg.

According to a 1949 report in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, the higher estimate counts the pannus adipose, a layer of fatty tissue located between the upper layers of the skin and the underlying muscle, as part of the skin, while this tissue layer is counted separately in the lower weight estimates.

The report's authors argue against the inclusion of the pannus adipose and thus conclude that skin makes up only about 6% of an adult's weight. But a recent medical reference text, the Primary Care Notebook, states that adipose tissue is part of the third and innermost layer of the skin, the hypodermis, which indicates that it should be counted.

Thigh bone

The skeleton is an organic system, or a group of organs that together perform specific physiological functions. The skeleton is one of the largest organ systems in the human body, and can weigh nearly 15 percent of an adult's total body weight, according to a 2019 review published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences.

The adult skeleton typically contains 206 bones, although some individuals may have additional ribs or vertebrae. The femur, located between the knee and the hip, is the heaviest of them all. On average, the femur weighs about 380 grams, but its exact weight varies according to age, gender and health status.

Liver

According to the American Liver Foundation, the liver weighs about 1.4 to 1.6 kilograms and is the second heaviest organ in the human body. The liver is a cone-shaped organ located above the stomach and below the diaphragm, which is a dome-shaped muscle under the lungs. The liver helps break down toxins and digest food, among other vital functions. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the liver holds about a pint of blood at all times, which is about 13% of the body's blood supply.

the brain

From thinking to controlling movement, the human brain performs countless vital functions in the body, and its weight reflects its importance. According to a commentary in the journal PNAS, the brain accounts for about 2% of the average adult human body weight.

Brain mass weight also depends on a person's age and gender. At the age of 1.4, a man's brain weighs 65 kg. At age 1.3, it drops to 10 kg. According to the academic Encyclopedia of the Human Brain, female brains weigh about 100 percent less than male brains, but according to the journal Intelligence, when total body weight is taken into account, men's brains tend to be only about XNUMX grams heavier.

lung

The lungs are among the heaviest parts of the human body. The right lung usually weighs about 0.6 kg, while the left lung is slightly smaller and weighs about 0.56 kg. The lungs of adult males are also heavier than those of females.

Interestingly, the lungs weigh 40 grams at birth. The lungs only fully develop when the alveoli are formed at the age of two, when the lungs weigh about 170 grams.

the heart

The human heart is located at the center of the circulatory system and tirelessly pumps blood through the body, sending oxygen and nutrients to the tissues. The heavy muscle fibers that drive the heartbeat account for most of its weight. The heart weighs about 280 to 340 grams in adult males and about 230 to 280 grams in adult females.

the kidneys

The kidneys get rid of toxins and body waste. This pivotal job is done by nephrons, which are small structures that act as filters between the bloodstream and the bladder. Each kidney contains millions of nephrons, making this vital organ one of the body's heavyweights. It weighs between about 125 to 170 grams in adult males and 115 to 155 grams in adult females.

spleen

Located close to the pancreas, the spleen removes old and damaged red blood cells from the bloodstream, regulates circulating levels of white blood cells, and produces antibodies and immune molecules that help fight infection. The spleen weighs an average of 150 grams in adults, but according to a 2019 scientific review published in the journal Surgery, the weight varies from person to person.

pancreas

The pancreas regulates blood sugar levels and secretes enzymes that help the intestines absorb nutrients from digested food. Along with the spleen, the pancreas is a heavyweight digestive organ. The pancreas normally weighs 60 to 100 grams in an adult. It can weigh up to 180 grams in some individuals.

Thyroid

The thyroid gland is located in the neck and plays a major role in regulating the body's use of energy. Their weight varies between individuals, but they usually weigh about 30 grams. The thyroid gland may become heavier during menstruation and pregnancy. Hyperthyroidism, a medical condition that causes the thyroid gland to produce more hormones than the body needs, can cause it to grow and increase in size.

prostate gland

Despite its relatively small size, which can be compared to the size of a walnut, the prostate is one of the heaviest organs in the human body. The average weight of an adult prostate is about 25 grams, but its weight may vary from person to person. According to the University of Utah, an enlarged prostate can grow to more than three times the average size and weight to about 80 grams.

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