Every two seconds, somebody is in need of blood. With only 3% of the eligible population donating each year, there is an ever-present need for life-saving blood. Surprising to know is there are amazing health benefits to donating blood even for the donors. Read on to find out more.
Why is Blood Needed?
The need for blood and its products is universal. Blood cannot be made outside the body. It also comes with a limited shelf-life. Blood and blood products are needed to care for:
- People with traumatic injuries in accidents
- Women with pregnancy and childbirth-associated bleeding
- Patients undergoing advanced surgical procedures
- Children with severe anemia
- People undergoing cancer treatment
- Patients with blood and bone marrow disorders inherited disorders of hemoglobin and immune deficiency conditions
What are the Health Benefits of Donating Blood?
There are many positive effects on our health when we donate blood, especially if we donate regularly.
Improved Heart Health
Donating blood reduces the excess iron content in blood, especially in men, which in turn decreases the rate of thickening of arteries. This reduces the chance of suffering a heart attack.
Studies have shown that regular blood donors have an 88 % reduced risk of suffering an acute myocardial infarction when compared to non-donors.
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Prevention of Stroke
Periodically donating our blood decreases the thickness of the blood. This helps in the prevention of stroke and its complications.
Rise of Good Cholesterol
Regularly donating your blood is proven to increase the levels of HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) referred to as “good cholesterol” in your blood.
Healthy levels of HDL are shown to protect our blood vessels and decrease the incidence of heart disease.
Formation of New Blood Cells
Our body starts replenishing the lost red blood cells within 48 hours of donation. This process of replenishment helps us stay healthy and productive at work.
Calorie Burn
Donating blood can burn approximately 650 calories for each pint that’s donated.
Picture credits: Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash
Decreased Risk of Cancer
Regular blood donors have a lower risk of developing cancers of the liver, lung, colon, stomach, and esophagus.
More Antioxidants in the Blood
Antioxidants are molecules in the body that repair injured tissue. They prevent the progression of heart, cancer, and eye diseases. Moreover, it also moderates the harmful effects of LDL (also called “bad cholesterol”), which has been linked to heart problems and early death.
Psychological Satisfaction
It is a wonderful feeling to know that you have helped to save not just 1, but 2 to 3 lives of those in need.
Picture credits: Photo by Radu Florin on Unsplash
Who Can Donate Blood?
The donor criteria may vary slightly from one country to another. The individual who wishes to donate blood must meet the following criteria:
- The age of donor must be above 18 years and below 65 years of age
- Hemoglobin value of at least 12.5 g/dl
- Healthy body weight not less than 45 kilograms
- Normal body temperature at the time of donation
- No recent infectious illness
Inform the blood bank in case of any recent vaccination or travel
How Often Can We Donate Blood?
The Indian Red Cross Society has advised a time gap of at least 3 months between two donations. This gap helps the blood regain its normal hemoglobin levels.
Who Should Not Donate Blood?
Blood donation should be avoided in situations where you can put yourself in harm’s way or risk transmitting the disease to others.
- You are feeling unwell
- You are pregnant or have been pregnant within the last year
- You are breastfeeding
- You’ve had any major surgery in the last year
- Minor procedures, for example, tooth extractions, in the last few months
- You have or may recently have contracted a sexually transmitted disease, such as HIV or syphilis
- Recent use of recreational or non-medicinal drugs
- Recent tattoos, skin scarification, or ear or body piercing. Ask your local blood service how long you must wait before giving blood
What is the Process of Donating Blood?
Always have a good meal before you donate blood. It is also safe to work out before donating.
You will be asked to give a small sample to run a blood test to assess your hemoglobin levels, and blood group and to screen for infections.
If everything is normal, the blood collection process will be initiated. The entire process causes little to no pain and discomfort.
The volume of blood taken is 450 milliliters, which is less than 10 % of your total blood volume (the average adult has 4.5 to 5 liters of blood).
After donating, it is recommended to take plenty of fluids and avoid strenuous activities for the remainder of the day. However, it is safe to resume normal day-to-day activities soon after donating blood. Your blood volume will get replenished within 36 to 48 hours.
Your blood may be used as a whole or may be separated into its components to make different blood products such as packed blood cells, fresh frozen plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitate, which can be used for people with specific conditions.
Picture credits: Image by Michelle Gordon from Pixabay
Takeaway
- Donating blood saves lives
- Blood donation has health benefits for the donor
- Blood can be donated after a minimum period of 3 months from the previous donation
- Everyone who can donate blood should consider making regular voluntary, unpaid donations, to ensure an adequate supply of blood
Sources
- Tuomainen TP, Salonen R, Nyyssouml K, Salonen JT. A cohort study of the relation between donating blood and risk of myocardial infarction in 2682 men in eastern Finland. BMJ. 1997 Mar 15;314(7083):793.
- Shah, Prediman K. Evolving concepts on benefits and risks associated with therapeutic strategies to raise HDL. Current Opinion in Cardiology: November 2010 – Volume 25 – Issue 6 – p 603-608 DOI: 10.1097/HCO.0b013e32833f0382
- Gustaf Edgren, Marie Reilly, Henrik Hjalgrim, Trung Nam Tran, Klaus Rostgaard, Johanna Adami, Kjell Titlestad, Agneta Stanwell, Mads Melbye, Olof Nyrén, Donation Frequency, Iron Loss, and Risk of Cancer Among Blood Donors, JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Volume 100, Issue 8, 16 April 2008, Pages 572–579, https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djn084
- D SLOOP GR. Possible association of a reduction in cardiovascular events with blood donation. Heart. 1998 Apr 1;79(4):422-.
- Yunce, Muharrem, Erdamar, Husamettin, Bayram, Nezihe Asli and Gok, Sumeyye. “One more health benefit of blood donation: reduces acute-phase reactants, oxidants and increases antioxidant capacity” Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology, vol. 27, no. 6, 2016, pp. 653-657. https://doi.org/10.1515/jbcpp-2015-0111
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Antioxidants: In Depth. https://nccih.nih.gov/health/antioxidants/introduction.htm
- Indianredcross.org
- WHO- Blood products: Blood donation https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/blood-products-why-should-i-donate-blood
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