Most people donate blood to help others. But what if giving blood also improved the donor’s health?
New research suggests that frequent blood donation may help the body produce healthier blood cells and reduce the risk of certain blood cancers, according to WP.
Blood cells—including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets—are made in the bone marrow from special stem cells.
Every time someone donates blood, the body responds by creating new blood cells to replace what was lost.
As people age, these stem cells naturally accumulate mutations. Some of these mutations can lead to blood cancers like leukemia.
However, it turns out that frequent blood donors may have an advantage. Their bodies are constantly producing fresh, healthy blood cells, which might help prevent harmful mutations from taking over.
A study published in Blood examined blood samples from 217 German men between the ages of 60 and 72.
Each of them had donated blood at least three times a year for the past 40 years—more than 120 times in total.
The researchers compared their blood to that of 212 men of the same age who had donated blood fewer than ten times in their lives.
The results were surprising. Frequent donors had mutations in a gene called DNMT3A. This gene is known to mutate in people who develop leukemia.
However, the specific changes seen in these blood donors were different from those linked to cancer.
To understand what was happening, the researchers conducted experiments in the lab.
They introduced the same DNMT3A mutations into blood stem cells and placed them in petri dishes.
Some of the samples were also exposed to a hormone called EPO, which the body naturally releases after blood loss to stimulate red blood cell production.
The results showed that the mutated cells grew more efficiently than normal cells—but only when EPO was present.
The next question was whether these mutations were actually beneficial. The scientists mixed the DNMT3A-mutated cells with others that contained harmful leukemia-related mutations.
They found that in the presence of EPO, the DNMT3A-mutated cells outcompeted the leukemia-prone cells.
In other words, these mutations seemed to protect against cancer rather than cause it.
Dr. Hector Huerga Encabo from the Francis Crick Institute explained that donating blood triggers a surge of EPO, which helps blood cells with protective mutations thrive.
Other experts believe this could be a natural way for the body to select for healthier stem cells. Of course, more research is needed.
Dr. Marc Mansour of University College London, who was not involved in the study, cautioned that these findings need to be tested in larger and more diverse groups.
However, the early results are promising. Regular blood donation is already known to save lives.
Now, it may turn out to have unexpected health benefits for donors as well.
