When it comes to bone marrow, most people only know of one color: red. Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside bones that helps produce blood cells. The two main types of bone marrow are red and yellow. Red bone marrow is found in the larger bones in the body, such as the thighbone and ribs. It produces new blood cells from stem cells. Yellow bone marrow is found in the smaller bones, such as those in the fingers and toes. It stores fat and doesn’t produce new blood cells.
What is Red Bone Marrow?
Red bone marrow is the tissue that produces blood cells. It is found in the center of some bones, such as the hip and thigh bones. Red bone marrow contains stem cells, which give rise to all of the different blood cells: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The stem cells in red bone marrow can divide and mature into any type of blood cell. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body’s tissues, white blood cells fight infection, and platelets help the blood to clot. Red bone marrow makes about two million new blood cells every second. People who have leukemia, a cancer of the blood cells, often receive treatment that involves destroying the leukemia cells in their red bone marrow and transplanting healthy stem cells from a donor. This treatment can cure many people with leukemia.
What is Yellow Bone Marrow?
Yellow bone marrow is the yellowish tissue that is found in the center of some bones. It is composed of fat cells, blood vessels, and Connective tissues. Yellow bone marrow contains fatter than other types of marrow, such as red bone marrow. Yellow bone marrow is responsible for producing blood cells. It contains stem cells that develop into erythrocytes, leukocytes, and thrombocytes. Yellow bone marrow makes up approximately half of the total marrow content in an adult human body. In infants and children, however, most of the marrow is red. This changes as we age because more fat accumulates in the yellow bone marrow with age.
Yellow bone marrow primarily consists of adipocytes, which are cells that store fat. Marrow adipose tissue (MAT) is a type of fat tissue that is found in the bone marrow. The primary function of MAT is to store energy in the form of lipids (fat). However, MAT also functions as an endocrine tissue and produces hormones that regulate metabolism. The yellow bone marrow becomes active when the body needs to produce more blood cells, such as during illness or injury.
Difference between Red and Yellow Bone Marrow
Red bone marrow is the type of bone marrow that is responsible for producing red blood cells. Red bone marrow is found in the central cavities of certain bones, such as the ribs and breastbone. Red blood cells are essential for carrying oxygen to the body’s tissues. Yellow bone marrow is a type of bone marrow that stores fat. Yellow bone marrow is found in the larger bones of the body, such as the femur. While yellow bone marrow does not produce blood cells, it can be converted back to red bone marrow if necessary. For example, during periods of stress or illness, the body may convert yellow bone marrow to red bone marrow in order to increase the production of red blood cells. In healthy individuals, most bone marrow is red bone marrow.
Conclusion
Bone marrow is a spongy tissue inside bones that helps make blood cells. There are two types of bone marrow- red and yellow. Red bone marrow is found in the center of large bones and makes new blood cells. Yellow bone marrow is found in the spaces between bones and makes fat cells. The difference between red and yellow bone marrow has to do with how old the person is. Young people have mostly red bone marrow, but as they get older, more and more yellow bone marrow replaces it. This change from red to yellow happens because the body stops making new blood cells and starts using them instead.
