How often do you give blood?

#1

Blood donation may have anti-ageing properties (sources below, with the caveat of the healthy donor effect), so I wonder how often members donate.

How often have you given blood in the past 12 months?

  • 0 in the last 12 months, and I’ve never donated in my life
  • 0 in the last 12 months, but I did it before
  • 1 time
  • 2 times
  • 3 times
  • 4 times
  • 5 times
  • 6 times
  • 7 times
  • 8 times or more

0 voters

Sources:

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#2

Every 8 weeks, which is as often as I can.

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#3

Unfortunately with age, you have to slow down or quit donating blood because the recovery time for replacing ferritin, hemoglobin, and red blood cell count is too long for old people. Donating blood too often puts me in the anemic range.
I was donating not out of any philanthropic motive, but because it was one of the early candidates for life extension. Possibly by lowering the iron levels in the body.

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#4

After 50+ donations Ive been advised to donate less frequently. I run a v low ferritin. No bleeding, sometimes borderline anaemic (124 for a man) but asymptomatic and iron studies all normal. Might be an absorption issue as I also have SNPs for gluten insensitivity too. Predates (by 10 yrs) starting rapamycin.

Im aware lower iron probably helps with longevity so too much of an issue.

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#5

You may have read PD Mangan’s book Dumping Iron. The book has chapters on the role of iron in aging, heart disease, cancer, and cognitive decline. He considers the “normal” laboratory range for ferritin to be too high. In his view, ferritin should be under 100 ng/ml, probably in the 50-70 range for men, but no lower than 30.

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#6

“but no lower than 30” :sweat_smile:

image

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#7

Superbly optimized! :grinning:

#8

Purely by accident from giving perhaps too much blood.

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