Until now, people who require blood transfusions have no choice but to fall back on blood donors to help them out. Unfortunately, the demand for this necessity never matches its supply. 

If you’ve been apprehensive but are willing to offer some of the substance that runs in your veins, hopefully the following facts will pique your interest:

The more you donate, the better for your heart

Contrary to popular belief, giving away your blood more frequently will improve the condition of your heart instead of harming it. According to Medical Daily, donating blood can stop your blood from being too thick and will allow it to flow more smoothly through your blood vessels, making it reach the heart more promptly. 

Reduces cancer risk 

Iron, a prime mineral constituent of our blood, has the ability to induce free radical damage in our body. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggests that donating blood can decrease the amount of iron pent up in your blood, which diminishes the risk of cancer. 

One-off blood donation equals 30-minute workout

Donating blood extends beyond protecting your health, as it can spare you your daily run on the treadmill. In reference to LiveStrong, an estimated 650 calories are burned when you donate a pint of blood. 

(Read also: Control your blood pressure level with these healthy habits)

Man with rare blood type saved 2 million babies

James Harrison, a man who has high-levels of anti-D immunoglobulin antibody, has helped mothers who were conceiving babies with Rhesus disease. This disease occurs when the antibodies in a pregnant woman’s blood tend to destroy her baby’s blood cells. Transfusions of Harrison’s miracle blood type reportedly resulted in the survival of 2 million babies. 

Coconut water can do the trick

According npr.org, coconut water is "identical to human blood plasma," although very slightly. Some doctors even prefer giving patients coconut water over any other fluid when the patients are dehydrated since it consists of one-fortieths the sodium level of plasma. 

Blood is mainly donated to cancer patients

You might think that most blood donations are given to trauma patients; but in actuality, they are mainly provided to cancer fighters. The American Red Cross details that 44,000 blood donations are needed in the United States per day to provide blood transfusions to cancer patients who undergo strenuous treatments, as quoted by cancer.net. 

Type O is most wanted 

All blood types are important, but being the most common out of the lot, type O+ is very sought after. Due to the fact that it is the least rare, it gets transfused a lot more than the other blood categories and is the reason why it is much needed. (nik/kes)

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