Strong Bones for a Strong Body
An adult body consists of 206 bones, from the top of the head to the tips of the fingers and toes. Together they perform essential functions, the most obvious of which are related to mobility. However, it would be wrong to think that these are the only functions of the bones. Indeed, our skeleton helps to:
- Protect our organs and viscera. Most of them are in the skeletal cavities. Thus, the skull protects the brain, while the thorax protects the heart, lungs and part of the digestive system.
- The joints, which are part of the skeletal system, ensure the mobility of the body, allowing us to make different movements.
- Bone marrow, which is found in the vertebrae, produces the red and white blood cells that make up the blood and are important for the immune system.
- Bones help our body store minerals that are essential to its functioning.