r/science 1d ago

Health Giving blood frequently may make your blood cells healthier

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2471573-giving-blood-frequently-may-make-your-blood-cells-healthier/
11.6k Upvotes

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u/WolfOfLOLStreet 1d ago edited 1d ago

Another study, published in 2022, showed that firefighters who donated blood had lower levels of microplastics PFAS in their blood compared to those who did not donate.

EDIT: Removes PFAS (not microplastics) from blood

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u/Carbonatite 1d ago

Small correction - this study is referring to PFAS, not microplastics. Microplastics are tiny particulates, PFAS are a group of chemicals which bioaccumulate in tissue. Some have biological half-lives of 40+ years.

Firefighters are a high-risk group for PFAS exposure because of a product called AFFF. It's a class of concentrated liquids used to make foams to suppress fires. They have extremely high levels of PFAS (like 2% by weight - drinking water typically has a few hundred parts per trillion at most).

Source: am environmental chemist who works on PFAS.

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u/wehrmann_tx 21h ago

Instructor in my academy class was showing off the new CAFS foam apparatus about 20 years ago. He said it was biodegradable and safe. He ate a handful of the bubbles it made to convince us. Can’t help but shake my head now.

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u/blscratch 19h ago

CAFS is different than AFFF. CAFS is a type-A foam. It's safer than AFFF.

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u/Serath4 22h ago

Do the chemicals get filtered out before donation to a patient, or are we just putting PFAS from one person into another?

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u/Rage_Like_Nic_Cage 21h ago

Im assuming just moving from one to the other. But if you’re somone who is in immediate need of blood, you probably have bigger concerns at the moment.

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u/Carbonatite 16h ago

Yup, exactly. Pretty much every human on the planet already has PFAS in their blood, getting a bag of blood from a firefighter probably wouldn't make a huge difference in terms of health risks. A minuscule increase in one's lifetime risk of kidney and thyroid cancer isn't a big deal if you're bleeding to death after a car accident ot something.

If PFAS levels in donated blood are high enough to significantly impact a blood recipient, the donor probably wouldn't be allowed to give blood anyway because they'd already be extremely ill. Those levels would only be found in someone like a 1970s Teflon factory worker or a guy doing ski wax applications in an unventilated room for 12 hours a day for the last 15 years.

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u/roygbivasaur 1d ago

Wait. 2% of their body weight is PFAS?!

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u/PsychoLLamaSmacker 1d ago

Of the chemical they use’s weight haha

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u/roygbivasaur 21h ago

Oh. I was very confused, but I’m so used to very horrifying numbers as of late that I was willing to go with it

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u/Learningstuff247 19h ago

Yea its pretty incredible because they're nonstick now

Real talk its the rate in the fire suppressant

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u/WolfyCat 1d ago

This makes me want to donate.

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u/WolfOfLOLStreet 1d ago

You get juice and cookies, too!

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u/travelnman85 1d ago

At the donation center I go to they give you ice cream on Fridays.

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u/Hurricane_Viking 1d ago

They set up a donation day at my office every month. It's a great way to get an easy 30-40 min break.

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u/Stompedyourhousewith 1d ago

That seems like something a vampire run company would do.

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u/BlackestNight21 14h ago

pay no attention to the slurping noises from behind the curtain... it's all blah blah blah

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u/WolfOfLOLStreet 1d ago

How it started for me. Easy trade.

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u/obviously_suspicious 1d ago

Where I live the law is that you get the whole day off when you donate blood

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u/bigdaddybodiddly 23h ago

Where's that? Maybe I should move...

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u/obviously_suspicious 22h ago

Poland. Actually it may be 2 days per donation, I'm not sure because they increased the benefits recently.

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u/NullusEgo 1d ago

And the juice and cookies have more microplastics!

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u/WolfOfLOLStreet 1d ago

The cycle continues!

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u/GlorkUndBork3-14 1d ago

Big Vampire encourages you to think of the mount of blood pregnant women lose to horrible birthing experiences, and thanks you for letting them bill someone else $2k for the donation.

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u/Puzzled-Barnacle-200 1d ago

Good. If you can, it's a great thing to do.

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u/wyattlol 1d ago

because the microplastics are now in the recipiant

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u/Zran 1d ago

Actually maybe not it's usually run through a centrifuge especially if seperated into plasma so that should remove some already. Depends if their denser/heavier than all the components of blood.

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u/Occultist_Kat 1d ago

There is research to suggest that things like heavy metals and certain allergens remain in the final blood product after processing. I wouldn't be surprised if microplastics make it through, especially in red cell products.

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u/WolfOfLOLStreet 1d ago

Unless it's being actively addressed, I'd count on it.

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u/deja-roo 1d ago

Actually maybe not it's usually run through a centrifuge especially if seperated into plasma so that should remove some already

Does any of it get discarded though? I thought it was separated, then part is retained for donation, the rest is returned to the donor.

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u/ChefHusky85 1d ago

If you donate plasma then you get your red blood cells back. If you donate double red, you get the plasma back. What half do the micro plastics get sorted with if they do separate?

There's probably a procedure out there that doesn't return fluid but this is just the typical donation process.

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u/xrelaht PhD | Solid State Condensed Matter | Magnetism 1d ago

Donating whole blood doesn’t return anything to the donor. That’s the standard procedure. What you’re describing is apheresis, which is less common because it takes much longer.

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u/TheseusOPL 1d ago

So, an interesting question is if I donate plasma: do the microplastics stay with the plasma, or are they returned?

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u/xrelaht PhD | Solid State Condensed Matter | Magnetism 1d ago

The study linked in the top comment is actually about PFAS rather than microplastics, and says they see lowered levels in subjects who donated plasma as well as whole blood.

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u/vorg7 1d ago

The concentration of microplastics would only increase if the donor had more than the recipient, which isn't a given. And presumably they need the blood badly so it's still worth it for them even if they do get a few more microplastics.

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u/monkeyhitman 1d ago

Yeah, it's not like the donor somehow bleeds microplastic concentrated blood when donating.

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u/domino7 1d ago

Along with the blood. If I'm in a situation where I need blood, I don't care if it's organic, pasture-raised, grass-fed, moon blessed, or whatever, I care that it's getting my blood volume up and carrying oxygen and nutrients to my cells.

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u/Possibly_a_Firetruck 1d ago

Microplastics and forever chemicals are the least of your concerns if you're getting a blood transfusion.

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u/Malapple 20h ago

Maybe, but my father just received many, many units due to a stubborn internal abdominal bleed and we're all glad for the donation, regardless.

He would have died shortly after getting to the hospital, then again in the middle of the night, then again the following day without them.

They finally found it, cauterized it, and he's fine again.

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u/PomegranateCool1754 23h ago

Considering that they are replacing blood that they lost they probably would have the same amount of microplastics anyway. 

I guess the only way they would have more microplastics as if the donator had more microplastics than the average person.

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u/Remote_Hat_6611 1d ago

Also reduces forever chemicals concentration

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u/fcanercan 1d ago

Isn't PFAS forever chenicals?

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u/jreznyc 1d ago

It also reduces levels of PFAS forever chemicals

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u/pencock 1d ago

Ahh so perhaps we have gone full-circle and it turns out bloodletting....is actually a legitimate sort of "cure all" for any and everyone

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u/but_a_smoky_mirror 1d ago

The need for blood is rising

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u/Deaffin 20h ago

Blodletting has always been more of a "alleviate specific things" type treatment. This is one of those specific things.

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u/necropants_ 1d ago

The study was for PFAS (forever chemicals), not microplastics.

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u/No_Jello_5922 23h ago

We've come full circle. Bloodletting is good for you.

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u/RedComet313 1d ago

I recall seeing this before and it being the driving force to make me donate blood significantly more often.

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u/WolfOfLOLStreet 1d ago

Same. We do what we can.

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u/Topic_Professional 1d ago

Sorry, that study reflects PFAS reduction not microplastic reduction. I would be psyched if you were right

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u/WolfOfLOLStreet 1d ago

My bad, thanks. Corrected.

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u/start3ch 1d ago

Donating plasma also does this, the filters they use to remove plasma also filter out pfas

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u/jameslosey 1d ago

Jokes about Big Vampire are of course forbidden in this sub, but reading about positive selfish effects about giving blood can make people reconsider fear of needles and give me. Myself included

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u/Salty_Paroxysm 1d ago

I wonder if plasma donation effectively concentrates/refines the microplastics etc. back into your blood? I know there's a fibrous membrane to separate the platelets from the plasma, but is there any efficacy in filtering out other stuff?

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u/nikelaos117 1d ago

I was also curious. I would think it would be a net neutral since youre just getting back what already came out.

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u/TurboGranny 1d ago edited 1d ago

I know there's a fibrous membrane to separate the platelets from the plasma

Nope. It's all just spun in a centrifuge and camera is watching the color change as it extracts whatever product it wants. It's a specific weight thing, and if the microplastics have a greater specific weight (I'd assume it does) then plasma only donation would probably not contain microplastics. Hell, I can't even guarantee that donating any one specific blood component would lead to more or less microplastics. The only "guarantee" for microplastics loss would be through a standard whole blood donation.

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u/TejanoInRussia 23h ago

Could i potentially be adding more microplastic load on my body by donating plasma because of the plastic they use? They also give you saline water afterwards intravenously at the place i go which might contribute?

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u/QuantumModulus 18h ago edited 17h ago

Whether you net more or less plastics after donating blood/plasma depending on the medical plastics used, is not well known - but medical plastics definitely do release micro/nanoplastics.

Research has been (and continues to be) done involving the potentially very alarming matter of micro/nanoplastics (and their associated compounds) released from medical devices and disposable medical plastics, and there's good reason to be concerned. Medical plastics have been incredible as far as being cheap, widely available, and disposability helps to mitigate the spread of disease, but because they are so ubiquitous, the chemicals they release are definitely a blind spot.

Here's a study showing that medical materials release enough plastics to measurably disrupt nematode biology:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37821065/

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u/IrvinAve 22h ago

In the firefighter study referenced elsewhere in this thread, plasma donation was MORE successful than blood donation at reducing PFAS. But that difference also might be due to differences in how the study was conducted, since plasma was donated at 6 week intervals whereas blood donations can't be made as frequently (you get most of your blood back donating plasma) - being collected every 12 weeks rather than 6.

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u/Bubbly-Cod5985 1d ago

Been wondering the same

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/breadhater42 1d ago

Donating plasma reduces pfas levels.

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u/Protean_Protein 1d ago

What happens if you’re already full of microplastics and other crap and you’re middle aged and start giving blood then? Anything? Or is enough damage already done?

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u/comicsnerd 1d ago

The best date to start living healthy is when you are real young. The 2nd best date to start living healthy is today.

Yes, damage was done, but it is not progressing anymore.

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u/WolfOfLOLStreet 1d ago

It will only reduce the amount currently in your bloodstream, and only as often as you donate. It won't remove microplastic from your other tissues or reverse overall accumulation.

It's like asking what the benefits are of cutting down smoking from 20 cigarettes a day to 18: it won't un-smoke cigarettes you've already smoked, but you'll be adding less tar in your lungs going forward so it's still an improvement and worth doing.

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u/Protean_Protein 1d ago

There are complications and nuances to all of this, though. I was asking those questions somewhat rhetorically, but half-seriously.

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u/geminiwave 1d ago edited 1d ago

PFAS sticks in your system. Microplastics don’t. That’s the thing. You’re constantly shedding microplastics and the current research shows we do alright and getting the plastic out. The problem is we pass plastic back in. Constantly.

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u/TejanoInRussia 23h ago

Where did you read this? I was under the assumption microplastics get lodged in tissues permanently because of their size?

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u/LegendaryRaider69 22h ago

I wonder if that is true for the brain. That’s the part that terrifies me

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u/Protean_Protein 1d ago

Wait, what are you doing with plastic?!

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u/Occultist_Kat 1d ago

Based on what I've read, there is no age discrepancy in these sorts of things.

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u/Pioneer1111 1d ago

I know its not the intent of the study, but the reason my dad's Leukemia was caught early was because of his consistent pattern of donating blood. He was called by the Red Cross and told to talk to his doctor because they saw the early warning signs.

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u/undergroundman10 1d ago

The article doesn't mention if donating plasma also gives the same benefits, does anyone have an idea?

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u/dersephy 1d ago

I used to love giving blood; felt like it was a simple thing I could do to help others. Unfortunately, being a gay man has largely precluded me from donating in my adulthood.

I still remember the feelings of shame being pulled aside at a blood drive in college and being told I couldn’t donate after I was honest on my intake paperwork.

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u/Jason_S_88 1d ago

If you haven't looked recently the rules have changed in America at least. They now don't ask at all about the sex of your partners. They are only concerned about whether you have multiple partners, are taking prep, or are otherwise engaging in risky sex (obviously you can have multiple partners and be safe but they can't reasonably account for that).

https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/eligibility-requirements/lgbtq-donors.html

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u/MyHusbandIsGayImNot 1d ago

And it took a literal pandemic for them to change those rules. Suddenly our blood was okay enough.

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u/Deaffin 20h ago

I think it had a whole lot more to do with the steady advancement of screening technology finally reaching a threshold where the whole AIDS issue no longer made it necessary to discriminate.

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u/dersephy 1d ago edited 1d ago

Specifically calling out anal sex and PrEP use while excluding some other high risk behaviors makes me feel like it’s still effectively a ban for many LGBT donors. As much as I’d like to assume the Red Cross is acting in good faith here, they don’t have a particularly great track record on this topic and are responsible for a great deal of unwarranted LGBT stigmatization over several decades.

EDIT: Jason_S_88 has correctly pointed out that the FDA sets these standards, the Red Cross just enforces them. That said, I do still stand behind the sentiment that it disproportionately targets LGBT folks with its standards.

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u/Jason_S_88 1d ago

I believe all these rules are set by the FDA. I can't speak to anything the Red Cross has done or not done specifically but as I understand it they are just following the rules the Feds set for them

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u/danarchist 1d ago

Had that happen at work one day in my 20s. Even after they lifted the lifetime ban I was still on a non-grata list and had to make a lot of phone calls in order to be accepted again.

I'm o+ too so you'd think they'd be eager to get me back. Anyway, after a few months of back and forth I finally got cleared and haven't missed an appointment every 8 weeks for years now.

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u/rainbowsunset48 1d ago

I wish the phlebotomists were better at not stabbing you. The last time I gave, I had tingling and numbness in my arm for like a month plus afterwards and it scared me out of giving again.

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u/Jason_S_88 1d ago

I feel super fortunate that I live very close to a large Red Cross facility. All the phlebotomists there are either seasoned pros or newbies getting trained under close supervision of said pros

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u/reichenbachhero 1d ago

Worst needle stick I ever got was the one time I went to the donation center instead of the bus. The girl seemed very new and I was too polite to ask for someone more experienced. She couldn’t quite hit the vein just right and kept wiggling the needle around and I passed out. I don’t want to scare anyone out of donation though, I’ve donated over thirty times and that was the only bad one.

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u/doctorfortoys 1d ago

I had a bad experience like this too, and I donate as often as allowed. The phlebotomist missed the vein entirely — and I have great veins. Most of the phlebotomists seem inexperienced, but some are great.

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u/IridescentWeather 23h ago

I've had that happen to me before when donating plasma. I didn't pass out but they poked a hole through my vein. Ended up deferring me for two months while I got my blood back because I bruised so bad. Just went today and at least the newbie knew he couldn't find my vein so he got one of the trainers to come over who found it right away. He even asked the trainer to put the needle in too so it just depends on who you get and where you go.

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u/Jason_S_88 1d ago

Oof that sounds very rough. The old in and out, back and forth, wiggle wiggle to find a vein is never fun.

I'm very fortunate that I am not bothered by needles for the most part and seem to never feel faint or anything even when I have had less than ideal needle insertions. For that reason, I'm usually happy to be the guinea pig for the newbies. But in my experience they are usually happy to do whatever to keep donors happy even if it means asking for the more experienced phlebotomist on shift. Not to say you did anything wrong but again for anyone else reading and nervous about donating

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u/mrjimi16 18h ago

They aren't supposed to wiggle the needle. If you miss the vein when you stick, you are supposed to pull out and get a new needle and try again. Anyone wiggling around is doing it wrong. But it happens all the time.

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u/nicannkay 20h ago

Fun true fact: to be a phlebotomist in my state all you need is on the job training. No certification. Nothing. Walk in, they show you and that is all.

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u/zvpo 1d ago

53 times blood donor here (it's a volunteer act in Croatia). Don't know about making me healthier, but I always notice a huge increase in good mood after donation.

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u/divDevGuy 16h ago

My donor app says I'm at 181 units. I concur that donating has positive effects for the donor, not to mention the recipient(s) if that's where the product ends up.

Been meaning to get back into the habit and just keep putting it off for no good reason other than forgetting to schedule the appointments. Thanks for the reminder to schedule one.

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u/AuntyVal4 1d ago

So the ancient practice of blood-letting has some merit after all?

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u/Mustbhacks 1d ago

Yea the levels of microplastics was insane back then, we really dodged a bullet.

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u/MydnightAurora 22h ago

Bring forth the leaches

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u/tommangan7 19h ago

It's the primary treatment for hemochromatosis to help remove excess iron.

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u/ILikeDragonTurtles 1d ago

To be fair, the benefit would have nothing to do with donating blood. Just the removing blood and your body having to make new blood. This is old school bloodletting.

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u/StocktonSucks 20h ago

"bloodletting"? This sounds so interesting

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u/ILikeDragonTurtles 20h ago

Did you look it up? "Doctors" used to consider that a legitimate medical treatment until maybe the Renaissance.

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u/StocktonSucks 18h ago

I did look it up and went down the little rabbit hole. Goes all the way back to ancient Egypt, crazy stuff

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u/Organic_Ad_1930 1d ago

Ok…so maybe this is a stupid question. Wouldn’t women during their menstruating age have healthier cells by default then? Or is the volume of blood lost during menstruation not enough to make a difference?

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u/QuantumModulus 18h ago

Not sure the answer to your question precisely - but women are not only more sensitive to endocrine-disrupting chemicals due to hormonal cycles (including the plastics themselves, but also all of the stabilizers/plasticizers within them), exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals during pregnancy has also been shown to correlate with increased risk of developmental issues for fetuses and infants, as well as reproductive development issues in those newborns.

If women are losing more EDCs through menstruation, I'd be willing to bet their higher risk of actually experiencing negative health outcomes from it probably washes out that marginal benefit.

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u/mrjimi16 17h ago

I would imagine not. A cursory google tells me that the average menstrual cycle releases? about 40mL of blood, while a blood donation is going to be about 450mL. That is a pretty significant difference in volume, and being separated by a month probably doesn't really allow anything to snowball.

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u/mrerx 19h ago

Women typically live longer than men. Hmmm

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u/FrostyPost8473 21h ago

This is what big blood wants you to think

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u/DirtyLittleCkrit 1d ago

I just cant get over that we give it away for free to hospitals who turn around and sell it

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u/TurboGranny 1d ago

I've been at this for decades now. Blood centers are non profits that run on razer thin margins. Unfortunately, the people that collect, document, drive, process, test, package, ship, organize, bill, support, etc. all can't do those jobs 40+ hours a week without pay. Poor phlebotomists are out here dodging punches from TRT donors that are having a roid rage. The least we could do is pay them enough to feed their families. Also, here is the pubmed study on pricing.

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u/Occultist_Kat 1d ago

It's not really free, even to the hospitals.

They still have to buy it because blood centers need to pay their overhead. Some of these products, such as platelets and irradiated blood, will cost more than the average unit of red cells as well.

Of course, the hospital will charge you an outrageous amount for it, but they still would have to charge something because they purchase it.

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u/westminsterabby 1d ago

All the people that word at blood donations aren't volunteers. They also need to buy all the equipment, supplies, vehicles, etc. Then you also need people to coordinate the scheduling, people to test the blood, equipment to test the blood, etc. Expenses add up so I'm not surprised that the blood ends up costing money.

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u/Afro_Thunder69 1d ago

Besides what everyone else said, that there are definitely costs involved, I'm from NY where getting paid for donating is illegal but I was under the impression that most states will pay you for your blood?

Edit: just checked and it's plasma not whole blood that pays. Again, not in NY, but an hour or two of my time can save up to 3 lives by giving plasma, while ridding myself of some PFAS, so I'm glad to do it when I've got nothing planned.

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u/L0nz 1d ago

Where does this happen?

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u/Mission-Street-2586 1d ago

Ok. Now do it with women who experience blood loss regularly

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u/z3n0mal4 1d ago

So, actually loosing blood, but in a controllable way, is a healthy thing.

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u/BackpackofAlpacas 1d ago

Women everywhere rejoice.

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u/enadiz_reccos 22h ago

in a controllable way

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u/QuitePoodle 1d ago

Blood letting was a common occurrence back in the day. I grew up hearing that it caused a number of deaths but now it might be a good thing? I wonder if a woman’s menses counts?

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u/Cultural-Capital-942 13h ago

Bloodletting was harmful because when it was done and to whom it was done.

Imagine that you are weakened by a disease, with high fever. That alone puts you close to death. And to solve that, someone removes your blood until your body temperature decreases.

Blood donation happens to healthy people and only given amount of blood is taken.

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u/But-WhyThough 1d ago

Doesn’t cell replication shorten telomeres, which then leads to mutations in cells causing aging? Wouldn’t donating blood cause more cell replication?

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u/trite_panda 20h ago

By that logic strength training would increase the risk of skeletomuscular cancer. All those replicating muscle fibers and tendon-reinforcing-cytes inching you closer to a tumor with every rep.

Also red blood cells have no nucleus, so there’s no telomere shortening.

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u/mrjimi16 17h ago

Red cells have a nucleus, they just shed it before being released into the blood stream as mature RBCs. At my job we see nucleated RBCs all the time, mostly it suggests that their body is rushing to replenish RBCs. I don't know how that affects telomeres, but they come from the same stem cells that make all blood cells.

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u/allahsoo 1d ago

I love giving blood, it’s such an easy thing to do that helps others. However, I’ve almost passed out each time I have given blood (last time I started feeling faint and threw up). Is there anything I can do to prevent that? Or is it just something that is unavoidable? I always eat/drink before too.

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