Adult Stem Cells and the Bone Marrow
If you've always wondered about how bone marrow creates adult stem cells, then this is
the article for you.
We'll look at the bone structure, the bone marrow and finally how adult
stem cells are released. By the end, you'll have a great understanding of just what
happens with adult stem cells and our bone marrow.
First, let's look at the bone structure. Many people believe the bones have very little blood
circulation, but this is incorrect. There is voluminous blood flow and our bones contain both
compact and spongy structure. The compact bone gives strength, while the spongy bone
contains the marrow.
Next, let's look at the bone marrow itself. Ask anyone what color bone marrow is and
they'll most likely say yellow. This is not completely true. Children have only red bone
marrow, it's only as we age that the red marrow is displaced by fat storing yellow marrow.
Adults still have red marrow in the ribs, vertebrae, pelvis and skull.
This red marrow is
where our adult stem cells are located and as we get less red marrow as we age, this
explains the drop in stem cell production. It is estimated however, that our bone marrow
contains around 150 million adult stem cells.
Finally, let's look at how bone marrow stem cells are released. Generally speaking in the
body, cells divide through symmetrical division whereby a cell creates 2 identical cells
which contain the original DNA. With the bone marrow however, asymmetrical division
occurs.
This is where a cell creates 2 different cells - 1 with copies of the DNA and the
other with the original DNA. The copied DNA stem cell leaves the bone marrow, while the
original DNA stem cell remains behind. This process is known as immortal strand
hypothesis and ensures the number of adult stem cells always remains constant in the
bone marrow.
So there you have it, a short guide explaining how the bone marrow creates adult stem
cells. We've looked at bone structure, the bone marrow and finally how adult stem cells
are released from the bone marrow. The most important things to remember are that this
process is natural but is reduced with age and that supporting the release of adult stem
cells from the bone marrow with stem cell nutrition will not reduce their numbers.
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