A fatty tissue found in the central cavities of long bones, serving as an energy reserve and a backup site for blood cell production.
Structure
Yellow bone marrow consists mostly of adipocytes, with scattered blood vessels and a small population of hematopoietic cells. Its color comes from carotenoids stored in the fat.
Development
At birth, almost all marrow is red and active. As skeletal growth completes, marrow in long-bone shafts gradually converts to yellow, while the axial skeleton retains red marrow.
Function
Beyond fat storage, yellow marrow can revert to red marrow in adults during chronic anemia or massive blood loss, restoring blood-cell production capacity.
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Yellow Bone Marrow starts with Y and ends with W. Browse other body parts along the same letter.
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