People who donate blood frequently may be less likely to develop blood cancer
The blood needed for transfusions and blood products is basically provided by volunteers who
Clonal Hematopoiesis Landscape in Frequent Blood Donors | Blood | American Society of Hematology
https://ashpublications.org/blood/article/doi/10.1182/blood.2024027999/535979/Clonal-Hematopoiesis-Landscape-in-Frequent-Blood
Frequent blood donations promote the regeneration of blood cells through genetic adaptation - German Cancer Research Center
https://www.dkfz.de/en/news/press-releases/detail/frequent-blood-donations-promote-the-regeneration-of-blood-cells-through-genetic-adaptation
Beneficial genetic changes observed in regular blood donors | ScienceDaily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250311121703.htm
Giving blood could be good for your health – new research
https://theconversation.com/giving-blood-could-be-good-for-your-health-new-research-252052
Hematopoietic stem cells are a type of stem cell present in bone marrow and play a role in producing red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, etc. Various genetic mutations accumulate in these hematopoietic stem cells throughout life, eventually resulting in a state of clonal hematopoiesis, in which blood cells derived from hematopoietic stem cells with abnormal genetic mutations proliferate.
Clonal hematopoiesis is a phenomenon seen in 10% of people over 60 years old and in more than half of people over 80 years old, and is said to be a precursor to blood cancers such as leukemia. However, the effects of repeated blood donation on donor hematopoietic stem cells and clonal hematopoiesis were not well understood.
A new research team from the German Cancer Research Center , the German Red Cross Blood Donation Service , and the Francis Crick Institute in the UK collected blood samples from 217 'frequent older donors' who had donated blood more than 100 times in their lifetime and 212 'sporadic older donors' who had donated blood less than 10 times in their lifetime. They analyzed the differences in clonal hematopoiesis and hematopoietic stem cells.
The analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the incidence of clonal hematopoiesis between frequent and sporadic elderly donors. However, differences were observed between the two groups when focusing on the gene '
The DNMT3A gene mutation, commonly observed in frequent older donors, was found to promote cell proliferation in an environment containing erythropoietin , a hormone that is released after blood loss due to injury or donation and stimulates red blood cell production.
'It's as if the body favors certain gene mutations that help it better cope with the stress of donating blood and replace lost blood cells more quickly,' said Darja Karpova, a researcher at the German Red Cross Blood Donation Service and lead author of the study.
In fact, when the research team introduced a DNMT3A gene mutation, which is often observed in frequent elderly donors, into mice to mimic the stress of blood donation, they confirmed that this promoted normal red blood cell production without causing cancer cells to develop.
However, this study was conducted on a relatively small number of donors, so it cannot be said with certainty that blood donation reduces the risk of blood cancers such as leukemia. In addition, because blood donation requires meeting certain health standards, people who donate blood frequently may be in better health to begin with, which may affect hematopoietic stem cells and clonal hematopoiesis.
However, past research has suggested that blood donation may improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, and there is also a theory that blood donation may regulate iron levels in the blood and reduce the risk of heart disease. In addition, blood pressure, hemoglobin levels, pulse rate, etc. are checked before donating blood, so it also functions as a simple health check.
Additionally, a 2022 study showed that regularly donating blood reduces chemical buildup in the body.
Regular blood donations are shown to be good for your health - GIGAZINE
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