They deliver the life-giving oxygen to every other cell in the body. They pick up carbon dioxide, a waste gas, and return to the lungs for us to breathe it out. The red cells are now ready for another load of oxygen. The shape of red cells gives them a larger surface area for exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide gases. It also makes them very flexible.
Red cells are often bent and squeezed as they are pushed through the tiny capillaries.
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