01dragonslayer
Regular
Donating blood is a great way to do something good and potentially save a life. If your blood matches someone’s in need, what you donated can be put into that individual in the event that they underwent blood loss whether from surgery or an accident. Thousands of lives are saved every year because people went out and donated blood when they were able. What some of these people don’t realize are the health benefits for the donor. This article showcases some of those benefits and will hopefully get you out there to donate soon.
2. Lower your risk of cancer
As mentioned above, excess iron in the body causes free radicals to form which can alter cells and cause some forms of cancer. When you remove excess iron from your system every eight weeks (two months) it allows your body a chance to stabilize without the need to be fighting off excess free radicals due to a large amount of iron in the body. Healthy levels of iron are necessary to maintain your overall health and reduce the risk of cancer.
3. Lower your risk of liver damage
Excess iron that is stored in the body can go directly to an organ such as the liver. The constant excess supply of iron can have some damaging effects on the liver such as cirrhosis. In order to prevent damaging your liver, you need to keep your iron levels under control. This can be done through regularly donating blood every two months or by limiting foods that contain a lot of iron such as red meat.
4. Improved health
When you donate blood, your body produces new blood cells. This donation process is almost like detoxifying the body and allowing new blood cells to be formed. When you replace what was lost with new cells, it helps you maintain overall better health when compared to not donating and potentially having damaged or morphed cells in your body that can cause many different illnesses and diseases. It’s also said that those who regularly donate blood also don’t seem to be hospitalized as often and if they are, it’s for a much shorter stay when compared to individuals who don’t donate blood.
5. Lower the risk of blockages
When you don’t donate blood, you risk the chance of your blood becoming thick—think about high viscosity. When the oil in your car gets old it starts becoming thicker and doesn’t flow seamlessly through your engine. When that happens, what can it cause? Your motor to stop functioning. The same thing can happen inside your body. When the viscosity of your blood is high, it doesn’t flow and can create a blockage which can cause a heart attack or stroke. Reduce the amount of blood you have in your body by donating and relieve some of the pressure on your blood vessels and their lining. It allows the blood to flow more easily throughout the body.
6. It’s a free “check-up”
Nothing will replace your doctor by any stretch of the imagination, but between well-visits you can donate blood and have several different tests completed free of charge. There are 13 different tests that your blood is checked for such as HIV, hepatitis, syphilis, West Nile Virus, and other infectious diseases. Should any of those tests come back as positive, they will notify you immediately. Before your blood is taken, they will check your blood pressure as well to ensure that is in the healthy range. On top of those, your body temperature along with hemoglobin will be checked as well. This is just an added precaution that they can look at to ensure you don’t have any illnesses that need medical attention.
7. Burn some extra calories
Who wouldn’t like to burn some extra calories for minimal effort and sitting in a chair? I know my hand is raised in the air—probably yours too. On average, people burn around 650 calories when they are donating a pint of blood. While this isn’t a significant number, if you donate blood every eight weeks that number can turn into 3,900 calories by the end of the year (potentially saving you a pound of weight gain). This shouldn’t be perceived as a weight loss plan by any stretch of the imagination nor should it be used strictly for such. The calories used are actually from the body replenishing itself.
- Lower your risk of heart disease
2. Lower your risk of cancer
As mentioned above, excess iron in the body causes free radicals to form which can alter cells and cause some forms of cancer. When you remove excess iron from your system every eight weeks (two months) it allows your body a chance to stabilize without the need to be fighting off excess free radicals due to a large amount of iron in the body. Healthy levels of iron are necessary to maintain your overall health and reduce the risk of cancer.
3. Lower your risk of liver damage
Excess iron that is stored in the body can go directly to an organ such as the liver. The constant excess supply of iron can have some damaging effects on the liver such as cirrhosis. In order to prevent damaging your liver, you need to keep your iron levels under control. This can be done through regularly donating blood every two months or by limiting foods that contain a lot of iron such as red meat.
4. Improved health
When you donate blood, your body produces new blood cells. This donation process is almost like detoxifying the body and allowing new blood cells to be formed. When you replace what was lost with new cells, it helps you maintain overall better health when compared to not donating and potentially having damaged or morphed cells in your body that can cause many different illnesses and diseases. It’s also said that those who regularly donate blood also don’t seem to be hospitalized as often and if they are, it’s for a much shorter stay when compared to individuals who don’t donate blood.
5. Lower the risk of blockages
When you don’t donate blood, you risk the chance of your blood becoming thick—think about high viscosity. When the oil in your car gets old it starts becoming thicker and doesn’t flow seamlessly through your engine. When that happens, what can it cause? Your motor to stop functioning. The same thing can happen inside your body. When the viscosity of your blood is high, it doesn’t flow and can create a blockage which can cause a heart attack or stroke. Reduce the amount of blood you have in your body by donating and relieve some of the pressure on your blood vessels and their lining. It allows the blood to flow more easily throughout the body.
6. It’s a free “check-up”
Nothing will replace your doctor by any stretch of the imagination, but between well-visits you can donate blood and have several different tests completed free of charge. There are 13 different tests that your blood is checked for such as HIV, hepatitis, syphilis, West Nile Virus, and other infectious diseases. Should any of those tests come back as positive, they will notify you immediately. Before your blood is taken, they will check your blood pressure as well to ensure that is in the healthy range. On top of those, your body temperature along with hemoglobin will be checked as well. This is just an added precaution that they can look at to ensure you don’t have any illnesses that need medical attention.
7. Burn some extra calories
Who wouldn’t like to burn some extra calories for minimal effort and sitting in a chair? I know my hand is raised in the air—probably yours too. On average, people burn around 650 calories when they are donating a pint of blood. While this isn’t a significant number, if you donate blood every eight weeks that number can turn into 3,900 calories by the end of the year (potentially saving you a pound of weight gain). This shouldn’t be perceived as a weight loss plan by any stretch of the imagination nor should it be used strictly for such. The calories used are actually from the body replenishing itself.
