14 DAY TRIAL // A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association documents the health benefits associated with the practice of donating blood.
Specialists say that, apart from helping others, people who donate blood on a fairly regular basis are likely to be healthier that those who don't.
Investigations have shown that blood donors have a lower risk of suffering a heart attack. What's more, data suggest that they have a lower cancer risk.
It is believed that these health benefits stem from the fact that blood donors have lower iron levels in their bodies.
Daily Mail explains that, according to previous studies, iron influences the texture of one's blood, meaning that high concentrations of this chemical compound make the blood thicker and stickier.
This in turn translates into damage being caused to the lining of the arteries and therefore ups cardiovascular disease risk.
As specialists explain, donating helps thin the blood flowing inside a person's veins and arteries.
The result is that regular blood donors (i.e. those who donate about two times per year) are likely to experience less damage to their circulatory systems as the years go by.
Iron is also believed to increase cancer risk, which is why removing some of it by donating every once in a while can prove beneficial to one's health.
What is interesting is that, whenever a person donates blood, their body finds itself having to replenish the overall blood volume in just 48 hours, and the overall red blood cells count in about 4-8 weeks.
This process requires the body to burn significant amounts of energy (about 650 calories), which is why some say that being a blood donor could also help the average person better control their weight.
Health benefits aside, it would be best if people stuck to donating for altruistic purposes and not because they want to get back in shape, researchers say.