Regularly Giving Blood Could Benefit Your Own Health, Too

Donating blood on a regular basis not only helps save others, but it may also enhance your own blood’s health at a genetic level, according to a new study.

A team of international researchers compared blood samples from 217 men who had donated blood over 100 times to those from 212 men who had donated fewer than 10 times, in order to observe any differences in blood health.

Frequent Donors Show Beneficial Mutations in DNMT3A Gene

Although the differences were small, they found that the frequent donors’ blood had a higher likelihood of possessing beneficial mutations in a gene called DNMT3A. Other mutations in this gene have been associated with blood cancer in the past.

Our research is an intriguing example of how our genes interact with our environment and change as we age, explains stem cell biologist Dominique Bonnet from The Francis Crick Institute in the UK.

The researchers specifically focused on blood stem cells, which are responsible for producing new blood cells when needed. As we age, these mechanisms may start to fail, leading to blood-related diseases such as leukemia.

When blood is lost, the body produces the hormone erythropoietin. In lab experiments on blood stem cells treated with erythropoietin, the researchers found that those with the DNMT3A mutation produced blood at a faster rate than those without the mutation.

Frequent Blood Donation May Promote Healthier Blood Cells

This finding suggests that frequent blood loss may stimulate the production of mutated blood cells. Studies in mice show that the DNMT3A mutation leads to healthier blood levels after the stress caused by blood loss.

Activities that place low levels of stress on blood cell production allow blood stem cells to regenerate, and we believe this encourages mutations that enhance stem cell growth instead of causing disease, says Bonnet.

Donating blood could help train these stem cells to regenerate blood properly. Follow-up tests in mice confirmed this idea of enhancing regenerative capacity without introducing potentially harmful genetic mutations.

However, there are some limitations to take into account. However, researchers must consider some limitations. Since blood donors are typically healthier (a requirement for donation), determining any additional health benefits is complicated, as these benefits may stem from their better overall health.

Need for Larger Studies to Confirm Blood Donation’s Health Benefits

Our sample size is relatively small, so we can’t conclusively say that donating blood reduces the incidence of pre-leukemic mutations, says Bonnet. We’ll need to study these results with a larger group of people.

Regardless of potential health benefits — and previous research has found others — there is an urgent need for blood donors. In the U.S., someone requires blood or platelets (small blood fragments) every two seconds. Having healthier blood is an added benefit.

The study offers valuable insights into how blood cancers begin, particularly explaining why certain dangerous mutations develop or don’t develop in response to stress, and points towards possible therapy options, although researchers need to conduct further studies to confirm these findings

Stem cell biologist Hector Huerga Encabo, also from The Francis Crick Institute, says, We are now working to understand how these different types of mutations contribute to the development of leukemia and whether we can target them therapeutically.

Read the original article on: Science Alert

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