You know that donating blood is good for patients, but did you know it also benefits blood donors?
Donating blood may protect against heart disease and strokes. This could be due to changes in blood viscosity or reducing the damaging, oxidating effects of iron on cells in the body.
Iron is an essential nutrient. Your body needs iron to make hemoglobin, a protein that transports oxygen in the blood. Too little iron leads to anemia, but iron is also linked to free radicals, unstable oxygen molecules that damage cells, proteins, and even DNA.
High levels of iron are associated with increased risk for heart attacks. A study of 2,862 middle-aged men showed an 88% decrease in heart attacks in blood donors.
One reason for this could be that lowering iron (and the resulting free radicals) also lowers low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol. Cholesterol is linked to hardening of the arteries, which can lead to heart attack or stroke. Blood donors in another study saw an increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) – “good” cholesterol – and related proteins and lower oxidative stress from LDL.
Regular blood donation may even lower your blood pressure!
The same oxidative changes that protect your heart may also reduce your risk of cancer. A study of more than 1.6 million blood donors showed a lower risk of both cancerous and benign tumors in blood donors compared to the rest of the population, especially among male donors.
Regular blood donors may also have a reduced blood cancer risk at the genetic level, a recent study suggests. When you donate blood, your bone marrow gets to work replenishing the lost cells. Cells in the body naturally develop mutations are we age; mutations in general are what lead to cancer. However, researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London found that red cell mutations in blood donors may protect against leukemia.
While both studies are promising, it’s important to remember that blood donors tend to be relatively healthy people, which could skew the results.
We check your pulse, temperature, blood pressure, and iron at every appointment and track them in your Donor Portal account; you can even download these numbers and bring them to your doctor. This helps you keep tabs on your health and lets you know if there’s anything you should talk to your provider about – it’s even helped donors detect cancer early!
While many people view the tests we perform on each unit of donated blood as another way to monitor what’s going on in your body, you should never donate blood to screen for disease.
Worried about skipping a workout after donating blood? A unit of blood weighs about a pound, so you lose weight when you donate! All jokes aside, donating blood actually burns calories (up to 650!) over the weeks after donation as your body expends energy to replenish the lost cells.
Donating blood is good for your mental health and wellbeing, which could help you live longer.
Blood donation is a volunteer act that literally saves lives, and people with long-term volunteer commitments report a greater sense of life satisfaction and lower levels of anxiety and depression than those without the same commitment to community. Older adults may also see a boost in cognitive health.
Individuals who volunteer to help and connect with others (compared to other motivations) may even live longer than those who don’t.
However, these effects are not as pronounced with short-term volunteer efforts. So, make blood donation a regular habit!
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