What Do Red Blood Cells Do?

By james

Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky

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Everybody has a circulatory system that carries erythrocytes throughout the body. This is the technical medical term for red blood cells. Red blood cells are essential to us because they ensure that all of our body parts get the oxygen that they need.

Such is the importance of these blood cells to us, and the circulatory system in general, that it pays to look after them the best we possibly can. This generally means eating healthily and enjoying an active lifestyle. There are medical conditions that can impact the health of our red blood cells, but these conditions are often relatively easy to treat.

1. White Blood Cells

In order to understand what a red blood cell does, it can help to understand the function of other cells in our blood. Among the most common types of blood cells are white blood cells and these perform a very important function indeed. This is because they help to keep us safe from pathogens, preventing us from falling ill.

White blood cells help to identify unwelcome intruders and then set about destroying them so they can do us no harm. Some white blood cells also perform other important functions such as helping to repair our tissues, and removing dead cells and other unwanted debris.