The cell membrane surrounds, protects and insulates every single cell of every organ or tissue in our body.
The DNA inside every cell is a library of genetic information – Prof Bruce Lipton, University of Wisconsin Medical School, compares it to the hard drive of a computer. The cell membrane in turn, he compares to the keyboard, controlling and continuously sending instructions to the hard drive, the DNA. Cell death is instantaneous after a break in the cell membrane. Prof Lipton says we should rather call it our “mem-BRAIN”.
A cell membrane is so small that it is extremely hard for us to comprehend. You need 10 000 membranes stacked on top of each other to equal the thickness of a piece of paper!
The sheer volume of cell membrane in the body is totally amazing. The liver alone has 300 000 square feet of membrane – more than 4 football fields!
The retina of the eye contains 100 million photo-receptor cells, called rods and cones. Within each of these receptor cells are 140 million receivers, called rhodopsin, all sitting in the membranes of each photo-receptor cell, waiting patiently for a portion of light (a photon), After one or two photons are captured, these rods and cones then send signals back to the brain along the nerve cell membranes, allowing us to see.
Cell membranes are a double layer (bi-layer) and consist of over 80% fat. The type of fats we consume daily, and in particular the ratio of essential fatty acid (omega 6 and 3) intake, both affect the composition and functioning of cell membranes – profoundly important and vital for life.
Source :
BodyBio Bulletin – “The Membrane” by Edward Kane; “Phosphatidylcholine : Life’s designer molecule” by Edward Kane and Patricia Kane