You probably know that donating blood can benefit other people's lives, but did you know that bloodletting has health benefits for the donor?
When donating blood, free health screenings are provided. The screenings include tests for infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, malaria, and syphilis. Diseases are difficult enough to treat when they are known, so battling a disease without knowing if you are infected is an unfair fight. Getting tested is the best way to know if anything is compromising your system.
Giving blood is a good way to "refresh" the body's blood. Red blood cells lost during the donation process are replaced within 4-8 weeks with fresh blood cells, helping the body run more effectively.
The biggest health benefit for the donor however, is reducing iron levels. This is mainly relevant to females who have gone through menopause and all males, because younger females routinely get rid of excess iron through menstruation.
Excess iron is stored in the body's joints and organs. This can lead to a whole host of health problems, including cirrhosis, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, different forms of cancer, and low libido in men.
Donating blood has a very significant impact in reducing the risk of the aforementioned health problems. Regular blood donors have an 88% lower risk of heart attacks and 33% lower risk of any type of severe cardiovascular problem (stroke etc.)
Reducing iron levels through bloodletting increases insulin sensitivity as well! Being insulin sensitive means producing less of the fat storage hormone insulin, which is why Gary Taubes and Mark Sisson value increasing one's insulin sensitivity.But in the end, donating blood is about helping others. Just one blood donation can save up to three lives. If you extrapolate that out, if you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have potentially saved more than 1,000 lives!
Adams, Cecil. "Can I Donate Blood to Lose Weight?" The Straight Dope. 14 Mar. 2003. Web. <http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2441/can-i-donate-blood-to-lose-weight>.
"Why Blood Donation Wards off Heart Disease, Poor Libido." Nigerian Tribune. 21 Feb. 2012. Web. <http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/your-health/36316-why-blood-donation-wards-off-heart-disease-poor-libido>.
Schuna, Carly. "Health Benefits of Donating Blood." LIVESTRONG.COM. 19 July 2011. Web. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/96891-health-benefits-donating-blood/>.
Giving blood is a good way to "refresh" the body's blood. Red blood cells lost during the donation process are replaced within 4-8 weeks with fresh blood cells, helping the body run more effectively.
The biggest health benefit for the donor however, is reducing iron levels. This is mainly relevant to females who have gone through menopause and all males, because younger females routinely get rid of excess iron through menstruation.
Excess iron is stored in the body's joints and organs. This can lead to a whole host of health problems, including cirrhosis, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, different forms of cancer, and low libido in men.
Donating blood has a very significant impact in reducing the risk of the aforementioned health problems. Regular blood donors have an 88% lower risk of heart attacks and 33% lower risk of any type of severe cardiovascular problem (stroke etc.)
Reducing iron levels through bloodletting increases insulin sensitivity as well! Being insulin sensitive means producing less of the fat storage hormone insulin, which is why Gary Taubes and Mark Sisson value increasing one's insulin sensitivity.But in the end, donating blood is about helping others. Just one blood donation can save up to three lives. If you extrapolate that out, if you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have potentially saved more than 1,000 lives!
Adams, Cecil. "Can I Donate Blood to Lose Weight?" The Straight Dope. 14 Mar. 2003. Web. <http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2441/can-i-donate-blood-to-lose-weight>.
"Why Blood Donation Wards off Heart Disease, Poor Libido." Nigerian Tribune. 21 Feb. 2012. Web. <http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/your-health/36316-why-blood-donation-wards-off-heart-disease-poor-libido>.
Schuna, Carly. "Health Benefits of Donating Blood." LIVESTRONG.COM. 19 July 2011. Web. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/96891-health-benefits-donating-blood/>.