Without these seven organs, you can still live

The human body has extraordinary resistance. When you donate 480 milliliters of your blood, you lose about 3.5 trillion red blood cells, but your body replaces them quickly. You can even lose large portions of vital organs and stay alive.

For example, people can live relatively normal lives with only half a brain. Other organs can be removed completely without having too much impact on your life.

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Here are some of the "non-vital organs".

Spleen

This organ is located on the left side of the abdomen, slightly back below the ribs. The spleen is usually removed due to injury.

Stomach

The stomach performs four main functions: mechanical digestion by contracting to grind food, chemical digestion to break down food, then absorption and secretion.

 The stomach is sometimes surgically removed because of cancer or trauma . In 2012, a British woman had to have her stomach disposed of after ingesting a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen.

Reproductive organs

The reproductive organs in males and females are, respectively, the testes and ovaries. The structures of the organs are paired and one can still have children with only one functioning organ.

The discharge of one or both is usually caused by cancer or, in men, trauma , often by violence, sports or traffic accidents . In women, the uterus (womb) can also be removed. 

This procedure (hysterectomy) eliminates women's ability to have children and also stops the menstrual cycle in women who have not yet entered menopause. Research shows that women whose ovaries are removed do not experience a reduction in life expectancy. 

Interestingly, in some male populations, removal of all testicles can lead to increased life expectancy.

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Colon

The colon (or large intestine) is a tube about 182 centimeters long and has four sections with names: the ascending colon, the transverse colon, the descending colon and the sigmoid colon. 

The main function of the colon is to reabsorb Water and prepare feces by compacting it. 

Gall bladder

The gallbladder is located under the liver on the right side of the upper abdomen, just below the ribs. The gallbladder stores something called bile. Bile is continuously produced by the liver to break down fat, but when it is not needed for digestion, it is stored in the gallbladder.

Worm bulbs

A worm bulb is a small, worm-like structure with a dead end located in the appendix, at the junction of the large intestine and small intestine. Initially thought to be dysfunctional, it is now believed to serve as a " safe House " for the good gut bacteria, allowing them to spread again when needed.

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Kidney

Most people have two kidneys, but you can get by with only one kidney - or even no kidney at all (with the help of dialysis). The kidneys play a role in filtering the blood to maintain water and electrolyte balance, in addition to acid-base balance. 

The kidneys perform this function by acting like a sieve, using various processes to maintain the essential things such as protein, cells and nutrients the body needs. More importantly, the kidneys get rid of many of the things we don't need, leaving them out of the sieve to leave the kidneys as urine.

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