3 Health Benefits of Donating Blood
Donating blood, in itself, is a noble thing to do. One should not ideally look for personal benefits out of it because blood donated equals to lives saved. There are several patients who are in dire need of fresh blood everyday just in order to stay alive. And when one donates blood, one really does not compromise on one’s health. The blood donated is easily replenished by the body in some time. Of course, the main reason why a person has to be healthy to be eligible to donate blood is to ensure this. But did you know that donating blood also had some health benefits? Apart from a free health check-up and blood analysis that you get done and the sheer joy of saving lives, there are also 3 major health benefits of donating blood.
1. Prevents heart diseases
The main cause of cardiovascular diseases is an irregular blood viscosity. This is caused by an excessive content of iron in the blood which results in excessive oxidative damage and damages the blood vessels and arteries resulting in heart attacks and other heart diseases. Donating blood reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes significantly because the oxidative iron is removed from the body and this regularizes the quality of the blood in your body.
2. Burns calories
A onetime blood donation burns some 650 calories approximately. Therefore, it is an excellent means of controlling body weight. However, blood donation should not be thought of as a weight loss regimen. Even to be able to donate blood once in every two or three months, the donor should weigh around 110 pounds, and should have healthy blood hemoglobin and iron levels.
3. Reduces the risks of cancer
Donating blood reduces the risks of cancer because cancers have been linked to the excessive iron content in the body which is responsible for the increased free-radical damage in the body. While donating blood, this excess iron is removed from the body and thus, chances of getting cancer are also reduced. When iron is released from the bloodstream, it reduces the oxidative stress on the body and prevents cancers of the liver, colon, lung and throat.
