What Is Lymph Made Of?

The lymph system transports lymph fluid from the body’s tissues into the blood. The system consists of lymphatic organs, nodes, ducts and vessels. Lymph fluid acts as a transportation agent and lubricant for the lymph system.

Composition

• Lymph contains an intestinal fluid called chyle and a collection of white blood cells primarily consisting of lymphocytes.

Chyle

• Chyle formation occurs in the intestine during digestion of fats. The resulting milky fluid contains rich levels of fat and proteins.

Lymphocytes

• Lymphocytes make up a quarter of the body’s white blood cells. Types include B cells and T cells which, respectively, function in humoral and cellular immunity. Lymphocytes exist in the blood, lymph fluid and lymph tissues.

Lymph Nodes

• Small nodules called lymph nodes cluster throughout the body. The lymph nodes help fight off infection with the production of immune cells.

Filtering Lymph Fluid

• The nodes filter lymph for bacteria and abnormal cells. Lymph nodes swell when they go into white blood cell production overdrive to clean contaminated lymph fluid.