Blood transports a wide range of substances around the body, acting like a moving “highway system” for cells and organs.

Main substances blood transports

  1. Gases
    • Oxygen from the lungs to all body tissues (mostly carried by hemoglobin in red blood cells).
 * Carbon dioxide from tissues back to the lungs to be exhaled.
  1. Nutrients
    • Glucose (sugar) for energy.
 * Amino acids (from protein digestion) to build and repair tissues.

 * Fatty acids and lipids, often carried in lipoprotein particles.

 * Vitamins and minerals absorbed from the gut.
  1. Waste products
    • Carbon dioxide (also a metabolic waste).
 * Urea (from protein breakdown) transported to the kidneys.

 * Other metabolic wastes such as lactic acid.
  1. Hormones and chemical messengers
    • Hormones from endocrine glands (like thyroid, adrenal, pancreas) to target organs, using plasma as the transport medium.
  1. Immune components
    • White blood cells that defend against infection.
 * Antibodies (immunoglobulins) that help identify and neutralize pathogens.
  1. Proteins and clotting factors
    • Albumin, which helps maintain fluid balance and carries various molecules.
 * Clotting proteins (clotting factors and fibrinogen) that help stop bleeding.
  1. Electrolytes and ions
    • Sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, bicarbonate, and others that are essential for nerve impulses, muscle contraction, and pH balance.
  1. Heat
    • Blood distributes heat produced by metabolism, helping regulate body temperature, even though heat is not a “substance” in the chemical sense.

Simple one‑line answer

Blood transports oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, hormones, waste products, immune cells and antibodies, plasma proteins (including clotting factors), electrolytes, and heat throughout the body.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.