Donating blood may lower your risk of heart disease
March 18th, 2009
The life you save may be your own. Preliminary studies suggest you can lower your risk of heart disease by regularly giving blood. This helps mitigate the amount of iron in your body. Many researchers think that we take in too much iron, mostly from eating red meat. Excess iron is thought to aid in the creation of free radicals in the body, speeding the aging process and raising the risk of heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. Until menopause, women are naturally protected from iron overload, but after that the danger of overdose climbs. But don’t rely on donating blood alone. Go easy on the red meat: no more than a few servings a week and keep each to the size of a deck of cards.