World Blood Donor Day 2020: Know 6 Amazing Health Benefits Of Blood Donation

Over the years, blood donation has become a common process, wherein thousands of people donate their blood to help several patients to stay healthy and alive. It is believed that in order to make a big difference in people’s lives, blood donation is the best and the safest thing to do. While some may do it just because everyone else is doing it, others donate blood on a regular period as a good deed. Other than fulfilling the social cause, there are also some health benefits associated with donating blood regularly or even once in a while. Hz spoke to two experts, Dr. Jayashree D. Kulkarni, Consultant Pathologist, Columbia Asia Referral Hospital, and Dr. S.N Aravinda, Consultant, Internal Medicine, Aster RV Hospital, regarding the same and they enlightened us with following advantages of blood donation.

Improves Cardiovascular Health

High iron content in the blood increases the chance of cardiovascular diseases like abnormal heart rhythms, congenital heart disease, coronary artery disease, heart attack, heart failure, or heart muscle disease. By donating blood regularly, the person “reduces the amount of iron in the blood, thereby improving overall cardiovascular health and reducing the chance of heart problems, especially heart attacks. Also, it lowers the risk of severe cardiovascular events such as stroke, in which the brain loses its blood supply,” explained Dr Jayashree D. Kulkarni.

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Enhances The Production Of New Blood Cells

Why blood donation is a lifesaving gift and beneficial procedure for both recipient and donor is because, after a few days of donating blood the body automatically makes space for new blood cells, be it white or red. The bone marrow receives the message and the red blood cells are formed in the red bone marrow of bones and white blood cells in the white bone marrow in the presence of oxygen. This process that also helps to boostblood flow in the body is called hematopoiesis.

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Lowers Risk Of Cancer

There are different types of cancers, but all these start when the cells start to grow out of control and keep on multiplying by somehow outnumbering normal cells. Dr S.N Aravinda explained, “consistent blood donation is associated with lower risks of cancers in different organs such as liver, lung, colon, stomach, and throat by the reduction in oxidative stress when the iron is released from the bloodstream.”

Helps In Identifying Other Health Issues

Before donating blood, the donor has to go through a check-up to see if he/ she is fit for donating blood. During this routine check-up, many health issues might be identified such as iron content, blood pressure, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis, and HTLV (human T-lymphotropic virus) that can cause a blood or nerve disease.

Psychological Benefits

You do get a feeling of achievement after doing something good for yourself, friends, family, or society. The same goes for blood donation, it gives you an internal satisfaction to serve the community. Dr S.N Aravinda also suggests that “blood donation also has psychological benefits as it promotes feelings of happiness as a blood donor helps save the life of someone in need.”

Burn Calories

While you are following a customised diet and doing different types of exercises, also consider donating blood to burn some calories. It is the easiest way to kick start a new diet. You can burn somewhere around 600-700 calories per donation of one pint of blood, as per health reports. But, do not take blood donation as a weight loss plan that you can try every now and then.

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