12 Benefits of Regular Blood Donation for Health

Blood donation is one of the healthy habits that is accessible to most people worldwide. This benefit is not only obtained from health workers and facilities that collect donor results but also from you, who regularly donate blood.

The Indonesian Red Cross, as one of the organizations that take care of this field, states that there are recommendations to donate blood at least once every three months. Ideally, a person can donate blood up to 4 times a year. But for other groups of people, the maximum limit given is 5 times in two years.

Before knowing about the benefits of blood donation, you must also know what conditions must be met if you want to donate blood. For more information, see the explanation of each of the following points!

Also read: Leukemia: Know the Symptoms, Causes, Prevention, and Treatment Before It's Too Late

Requirements to Become a Blood Donor

To be able to become a blood donor, there are several points that you must make sure of first. This is common knowledge and can be asked directly to health workers at blood donation posts.

Some of the requirements for a person to become a donor include:

  • Minimum 17 years old, and maximum 70 years old
  • Minimum body weight 45 kilograms
  • Blood pressure below 180/100 for people with blood pressure tends to be high, and at least 90/50 for people with blood pressure tends to be low
  • Have a blood hemoglobin level of about 12.5 to 17 g / dL, and not more than 20 g / dL

After meeting the requirements above, you also must make sure you don't fall into the six categories of people who can't donate blood. These six categories are drug or liquor addicts, people with blood disorders, people with epilepsy, people with infectious diseases, people with cancer, and people with diabetes.

Benefits of Regular Blood Donation

After you understand the requirements to be a donor and the group of people who cannot donate blood, let's look at one by one the benefits obtained when someone regularly donates blood.

1. Reduces Stress Levels

The first benefit that can be obtained when you regularly donate blood is a reduction in stress levels. The mood is getting better—not quick to anger and not irritable. As explained by the Mental Health Foundation in one of the articles on liputan6.com, regular blood donation can improve perceptions of emotional states that include life satisfaction and happiness.

2. Control on Blood Cholesterol

The second benefit is that it can control existing blood cholesterol. Blood viscosity will continue to be managed properly because, practically, there is blood released and the production of new blood cells is immediately carried out. Obviously, this can have a good effect on health in general because bad cholesterol can be reduced, and blood sugar also decreases.

3. Iron Balancing

It is not uncommon for iron levels in the body to be too high or excessive, so it needs the right method to balance them. Well, blood donation is one of the right methods for this matter. Too much iron will accumulate in the blood vessels, liver, and heart. With regular donors, this can be avoided.

4. Early Detection of Disease Risk

When donating blood, you will undergo a medical test to ensure the condition of your body. Here, the risk of what diseases, or even diseases that already exist in the body, can be detected early so that quick steps can be taken to overcome them. Especially if the disease detected is severe, there will be great advantages because it can be known as early as possible.

5. Helps Avoid Obesity

For those of you who are on an agenda to lose weight or avoid excess weight conditions, blood donation can be a healthy and effective alternative. At least, there are about 650 calories burned for every 450 ml of donated blood. Very big, right?

6. Heart’s Health

As stated in the second point earlier about blood viscosity, this also has an impact on heart health. With blood whose viscosity is maintained at the ideal point, the work of the heart will not become heavier. The risk of blockage due to blood clots in the heart vessels can be significantly reduced.

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7. Lowers Cancer Risk

The seventh benefit is that it can lower a person's risk of developing cancer. This is related to iron levels that are more controlled thanks to regular donors. Iron that is too high can be infested with free radicals. This is what triggers the increased risk of cancer. But with normal iron levels, the risk of cancer can be suppressed.

8. Increased Blood Production

Blood production will naturally get a stimulus because there is a certain amount of blood removed from the body. Blood cells with a younger age will continue to be produced so that the function of blood as an entity that delivers nutrients throughout the body can remain optimal.

9. Prevents Premature Aging

Who doesn't want to stay young? Ideally, everyone wants this, right? Well, regular blood donation can help you avoid premature aging that may occur. Signs of premature aging on the face can be disguised because the regeneration of red blood cells will naturally increase. The skin becomes tight and avoids wrinkles.

10. Keep Skin Diseases Away

The benefits of this donation are obtained because the dirty blood in the body will decrease. The circulation of red blood cell turnover will run more regularly and smoothly, so skin diseases will be easier to avoid.

11. Skin Lightening

The eleventh benefit of blood donation in this article is that it helps brighten the skin naturally. The iron content that makes up hemoglobin can flow oxygen throughout the body if the levels are maintained optimally.

12. Helps Maintain Blood Availability

Finally, when you regularly donate blood, you will obviously increase the availability of blood bags that can be used when needed. Each bag of blood is precious for people who need it, as it can save a person's life.

Let's Donate Blood!

Literacy on the benefits of blood donation is clearly expected to foster interest in these healthy activities. This increase in awareness is also related to the commemoration of World Blood Donor Day, which will fall on June 14, 2023. WHO itself, through its website, has begun campaigning for the main theme of World Donor Day 2023. The tagline used is 'Give blood, give plasma, share life, and share often'.

Also read: Simple, Here Are 6 Ways to Reduce Fever in Children After Homecoming and School Holidays!

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Source:

  • https://promkes.kemkes.go.id/3-manfaat-donor-darah-bagi-kesehatan-tubuh
  • https://www.liputan6.com/hot/read/4985232/12-manfaat-donor-darah-rutin-yang-jarang-diketahui
  • https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2023/06/14/default-calendar/world-blood-donor-day-2023
  • https://www.djkn.kemenkeu.go.id/kpknl-semarang/baca-artikel/15581/Manfaat-Donor-Darah-bagi-Kesehatan-yang-Harus-Diketahui.html
  • https://www.halodoc.com/artikel/harus-rutin-ini-4-manfaat-donor-darah-untuk-kesehatan