Be Selfish: Donate Blood!

You don't get paid for it anymore, those days are long gone. It takes quite a while, since there's so much paper work involved, and so many personal questions. You might have to drive a little out of your way to get to the local blood bank. So why should you donate blood? Well let's forget about the fact that you are saving lives (yes, that's multiple, since each unit of blood can save as many as THREE lives). How about this...it's GOOD for you!

Yes folks, studies have shown that donating blood can have health benefits for YOU as well! A study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 1998 concluded that blood donation may very well be associated with a decreased risk of heart attack in middle aged men. The medical professionals who conducted this study speculate that blood donation can reduce the overall iron levels in blood, which may protect against heart attack.

Scientists at the Kansas University Medical Center also found that men who donated blood had, on average, experienced 30 percent fewer incidents of heart disease than men who did not donate. While blood donors tend to be healthier individuals on the whole, this study was not conducted with just donors, there were several men, of similar health and physical profiles who did not donate included in the study.

Think about blood donation like an oil change for your body. Men don't have the benefit of menstruation like women do. Blood donation can be good for those who have high iron levels in their blood. Some studies suggest (the "Iron Hypothesis") that women are protected against atherosclerosis because they have a menstrual period, but men tend to have iron stores within their bodies, and blood donation can help to reduce these iron stores. Donating blood forces your body to replace the lost blood with fresh new cells. Your body replaces the lost volume within about 48 hours, and within a couple of weeks, your body will have created all new red cells to replace those that were lost.

In addition to those benefits, donating blood every two weeks can help you keep on top of your health. When you donate blood, you will be given a mini physical. The professionals at the donation site will check your blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, and check your hemoglobin and/or hematocrit levels. From the blood you donate, a slew of tests will be performed for any infectious diseases. Most blood banking organizations will also check the cholesterol levels in your blood and send you those results in the mail a few weeks after donation.

Next time you think you are too busy to donate blood, remember that in addition to saving lives, you are also doing something for yourself as well!