The Benefits of Bleeding
http://discovermagazine.com/1997/dec/thebenefitsofble1308/?searchterm=the%20benefits%20of%20bleeding
Before menopause, women suffer only about half as many heart attacks as men of similar age do. After menopause the statistics balance out because estrogen production drops sharply after menopause, the hormone might somehow help ward off heart disease. The monthly loss of blood may protect women from heart disease and men might benefit by blood donation. Dacid Meyers who is a cardiologist at Kansas University, became interested in a possible link between lossing blood and heart disease. In the survey he followed up on 3855 men and women and they were all over 40. he noted how manydonated blood in the past and how many went on to develop heart disease. He found that men who had donated blood at least once in the last 3 years were 30% less likely to have developed heart disease but he found no difference for women between donors and nondonors. The blood loss also reduces their stires of iron. Women have about half as much iron as men. Iron acts as a catalyst in cholesterol oxidation, transforming cholesterol into a more dangerous molecule. Cholesterol is kind of a mild irritant, but oxidized cholesterol is hust a really nasty irritant. The blood loss does indeed lower the risk of heart disease.
I thought the old women get heart attack easily because of the age before i read this article. If we become healther by doneting blood, we should donete our blood so we are gonna be healther and people who need blood for surgery can fine blood easily.
posted by sarahjihyeonkim @ 5:07 PM
3 Comments:
I find it very interesting that losing blood would help prevent heart disease. I guess it is one of those balance situations where losing a some is good, but if too much is lost you will die. This makes me think of medicine in the old days where when someone was sick they would bleed them to cure them. Also in government, we were discussing how when you give to the poor you will not be in want so maybe it is the same situation. If you donate your blood, you will gain the rewards. I will have to remember this next week when I am having my blood drawn.
This was really interesting! I had no idea that periods prevented heart disease! I agree that people should donate blood! Especially if they are at risk of heart disease! of heart disease! I am slightly concerned about the iron/ choesterol thing, because I eat a ton of iron!!!
I had never even thought that there might be a connection between blood loss and heart disease. I find it very interesting. That could be very useful in finding ways to help prevent heart disease, and it could be great motivation for donating blood!
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