World Blood Donor Day 2022: Expert shares health benefits of donating blood

World Blood Donor Day is observed on June 14 every year to raise global awareness about the need for safe blood and blood products, and express gratitude to voluntary, unpaid blood donors “for their life-saving gifts of blood”, World Health Organisation (WHO) stated.
Donating blood can not just be beneficial and life-saving for recipients but also the donors, said Dr Sumol Ratna, MD, Medicine, Assant Professor, Noida International Institute of Medical Sciences. He added, “Donating blood provides numerous health advantages.”
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Here are a few health benefits of donating blood, according to the expert.Best of Express PremiumPremiumPremiumPremiumPremium
Prevents hemochromatosis
Hemochromatosis is less likely to occur if blood is donated, he said. “Due to alcoholism, anaemia and a variety of other problems, this health condition may be inherited at our expense.”

Production of blood cells
Blood donation leads to the production of blood cells as “the body will repair the blood loss when a person donates blood promoting the synthesis of new blood cells”. “The new blood cells would aid in a person’s overall health,” he explained.
Body will repair the blood loss when a person donates blood promoting the synthesis of new blood cells (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)
Decreasing the risk of cancer
Blood donation can mitigate the risk of cancer as it keeps iron levels in the blood at healthy ranges. Dr Ratna added, “A lower iron level in the body has been related to lower cancer risk. At the same time, when the body’s iron levels are too low, it causes iron deficiency and other health problems.”
Health of the heart and liver
It aids heart and liver health lowering the health problems caused an excess of iron in the body. “When people ingest too much food, only a portion of it is absorbed, and the remainder is stored in the heart, liver, or pancreas,” the expert said.
Explaining the health impacts of having excess iron in the body, he said, it “raises the chance of developing health problems such liver failure, pancreatic damage, and cardiac irregularities. As a result, donating blood, the body can maintain the appropriate levels of iron while also lowering the chance of developing numerous health problems.”

“Donating blood is a great method to help the community because both the donor and the recipient will benefit from it. Donating blood is a simple and quick operation. When it comes to blood donation, there are usually no negative consequences. If a person donates blood frequently, visiting a doctor about iron supplements and restoring normal blood levels in the body is required,” Dr Ratna concluded.
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