Does the heart pumping and movement of blood affect body weight?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ATPenergy
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Body Heart
AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on whether the heart's pumping action and blood movement affect body weight. It concludes that the net effect of blood being pumped upwards and downwards is zero, meaning body weight remains constant. Although relativity suggests that pressure, energy, and mass have gravitational effects, any potential increase in weight from blood circulation is negligible and offset by calories burned during the pumping process. Rapid blood movement introduces kinetic energy, which may lead to a slight loss in perceived weight. Ultimately, the volume of blood remains unchanged, reinforcing that there is no significant impact on body weight from these physiological processes.
ATPenergy
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
When the heart pump and blood flow down the body , Does the body wieght increase,be the same or decrease? Why?
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
It is not possible for the heart to pump blood downwards without pumping an exactly equal amount upwards.
 
Ok. Let's pump blood upwards also
 
Well, since the momentum of the blood being pumped downwards is necessarily identical in magnitude to the momentum of the blood being pumped in the opposite direction, then net effect is zero and therefor your weight remains the same.
 
Does the body has momentum upwards?
 
Equal and opposite reactions. Like birds flying in the back of a mach truck. It makes no difference, the weight remains constant.
 
EXACTLY what negitron said!
 
According to relativity, pressure,energy and mass all have a gravitational effect...So body weight would increase as the heart pumps but not enough for us to actually measure... In practice any such gain would be more than offset by the calories consumed pumping...
Rapidly moving blood also has kinetic energy; not so easy a question to answer but I'm pretty sure the next effect is a loss in "weight".

By analogy, compressing a spring means it has potential energy stored...hence it's weight increases just a tiny,tiny,bit...in that case the energy is clearly added to the system unlike the example with a heart burning calories(energy).

Assuming the volume of blood does not change there is no net effect of blood being pumped up or down...this could be of interest since gravity at the head is less than at the feet.
 
  • #10
Naty1 said:
According to relativity, pressure,energy and mass all have a gravitational effect...So body weight would increase as the heart pumps but not enough for us to actually measure... In practice any such gain would be more than offset by the calories consumed pumping...
Rapidly moving blood also has kinetic energy; not so easy a question to answer but I'm pretty sure the next effect is a loss in "weight".

By analogy, compressing a spring means it has potential energy stored...hence it's weight increases just a tiny,tiny,bit...in that case the energy is clearly added to the system unlike the example with a heart burning calories(energy).

Assuming the volume of blood does not change there is no net effect of blood being pumped up or down...this could be of interest since gravity at the head is less than at the feet.


Probably not the answer the OP was looking for...
 
Back
Top