According To KU Medical Center Study,
Men who donate blood may reduce their risk of heart disease by up to 30 percent, according to a study led by David Meyers, M.D., professor of internal medicine and preventive medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. The study, "Possible association of a reduction in vascular events with blood donation," is published in the August issue of the journal Heart. The study supports the "iron hypothesis" which suggests that women are protected from atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, because they have lower body stores of iron than men. Through menstrual blood loss, women have one-half the iron stores and suffer about one-half the heart attacks and deaths from heart disease as men of similar age.
"What this means for men is - if you donate blood, in a sense you can become a virtual woman and protect yourself from heart disease," said Meyers. "We have identified another reason for blood donation, beyond altruism, for men."
