World Blood Donor Day 2022: Donating blood is not only a noble act that helps save lives and manage certain health conditions, but it also comes with its own set of benefits for donor’s health. The act of helping others can reduce stress and improve emotional well-being. Donating blood also helps create new blood cells, reduces risk of heart attack and liver ailment, lowers cholesterol and even slows down ageing. (Also read: World Blood Donor Day: Is donating blood post Covid vaccination safe? Expert busts common myths)
“Despite many efforts by scientists we have not succeeded in finding a suitable substitute of blood. Any major blood loss can endanger life and loss of blood has to be replaced with blood which must necessarily come from another human being. Major blood loss may occur in road accidents, major life saving surgeries – including heart, liver, kidney transplants, during child birth and regular transfusions are required in medical conditions like anaemia, thalassemia, leukaemia and organ malignancies,” says Dr Ramesh C Khurana, Head of Department -Blood Bank, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Okhla, New Delhi.
Who can donate blood safely?
A regular, repeated, non-remunerative and voluntary blood donation by both males and female healthy donors in the age group of 18-65 years with haemoglobin level above 12.5 gm per cent is considered safe, as they undergo repeated medical examination, including tests for safety from blood transmissible diseases, says Dr Khurana.
Benefits of donating blood
Donating blood has benefits for both emotional and physical health, according to Dr Khurana.
According to a report by the Mental Health Foundation, helping others can reduce stress, improve your emotional well-being, benefit your physical health, help get rid of negative feelings and provide a sense of belonging and reduce isolation.
The other health benefits of donating blood are as follows:
• Reduces risk of heart attacks and liver ailment
• Formation of new blood cells
• Reduced risk of hemochromatosis
• Helps maintain weight
• Helps prevent premature ageing
• Speeds up healing process
• Lower cholesterol level