Health Benefits of Donating Blood
- ciaralitchfield
- Dec 9, 2014
- 2 min read
So yesterday I completed my second donation (Yay me). Again everything went smoothly and I managed to fill my pint in around 10 minutes so it was a very quick donation. I received an email in the morning reminding me of my donation time (which I had booked a few days earlier) and telling me that stocks of my blood type were low.
In the UK we use around 7,000 units of blood every single day and winter is the time when these stores deplete more rapidly. I was chatting to my dad about ways to increase the number of people who are donating. For some people that warm fuzzy feeling of helping out isn’t enough so I began to research some other health benefits.
Burns calories
The most obvious health benefit is that fact that donating 1 pint of blood burns around 650 calories. You would struggle to find a work out where you can burn that much in less than 15 minutes while sitting down! Of course it’s a good idea to have a good meal 1-3 hours before and a snack after to stabilise blood sugar but that’s still an impressive deficit. You can donate multiple times a year so becoming a regular donor and help in weight loss. The number of donations you can make will depend on your general health and haemoglobin status.
Reduced risk of CVD and Cancers
The second benefit is associated with reducing the iron content of our blood. While Iron is essential it can cause our blood to thicken. This creates friction and damage to blood vessels as it passes through the body. This acceleration in damage and oxidisation is associated with cardiovascular disease. An American study found that giving blood regularly can reduce the risk of stroke by 33% and heart attack by 88%! The Journal of the American Medical Association found that fewer heart attacks and strokes occurred in people aged 43-61 who donated once every 6 months so donations don’t have to be too regular to be protective.
This thinning of the blood helps the system flow more smoothly and reduces stress. This change has also been associated with reduced risk of Cancer through research is ongoing.
Improved stimulation of new blood cells
When blood is drawn our bodies must work to replenish what has been lost. This process helps to stimulate the production of new blood cells when blood is lost. In theory this could help our bodies deal with blood loss (maybe due to accidents) better. We can become more efficient at replacing lost blood giving us a better chance of recovery.
Free check up
In order to give blood you must be in good health. During a donation session blood pressure and iron level are assessed. Both these tests can help to identify multiple medical problems and lead to early diagnosis. Your blood will also be screened for disease and you will be informed if anything is identified.
To find and book a session please visit: https://my.blood.co.uk/Home
