World Blood Donor Day was first established in 2004 and is celebrated every June 14.
The goal of its commemorations is to educate people about the importance of donating blood.
Donating blood can help maintain health and build resilience to disease.
To learn more about the World Blood Donor Day and its health benefits, let’s read the article below!
The History of World Blood Donor Day
Do you know when World Blood Donor Day is celebrated? Yup, World Blood Donor Day is commemorated every June 14.
The celebration of World Blood Donor Day started with research by a scientist named Richard Lower.
His research grew out of his success in transfusing blood between two dogs.
Then it continued in 1901, when a scientist named Karl Landsteiner proposed the classification of human blood type called the ABO blood type.
For his discovery, Karl was awarded the Nobel Prize.
In 2004, several organizations supported the launch of World Blood Donor Day.
The following year, they celebrated it on the 58th anniversary of the World Health Assembly, officially establishing it as a global event to be celebrated every year.
The date was taken from Karl Landsteiner’s birthday, which is on June 14.
The Goals of World Blood Donor Day
Do you know the goals of World Blood Donor Day? Its annual commemoration has a purpose.
Donating blood is a beneficial social activity that helps meet patients' needs for blood.
The goals of World Blood Donor Day are as follows:
- To raise the public’s social awareness.
- To encourage the public to implement social values through blood donation.
- To raise public awareness about the importance of blood stocks in health care.
- To educate the public about safe blood use.
Health Benefits of Donating Blood
Donating blood is very beneficial for our health. Such benefits can be fully experienced if you do it regularly.
Here are the health benefits of donating blood:
1. Boosting Production of Red Blood Cells
The first health benefit of donating blood is boosting the production of erythrocytes.
Some people still assume that by donating blood they lose erythrocytes within the body, but in fact it is the opposite.
After a certain volume of blood is decreased in blood donation, the bone marrow will be triggered to produce new erythrocytes immediately.
The process of forming new erythrocytes will last for 90 days and will be reformed through a process known as erythropoiesis.
Therefore, if you donate blood regularly, your body will be stimulated to produce a new batch of erythrocytes.
2. Detecting Diseases
The next health benefit of donating blood is detecting diseases within the body.
How so? Before you donate your blood, you ought to undergo several health tests.
The mandatory blood tests include tests for diseases such as hepatitis, HIV, malaria, to siphilis.
The blood test is needed to prevent the spread of such diseases.
No need to worry if you do not know your blood type; the health staff will inform you about it.
3. Helping Weight Loss
Another benefit of donating blood can be an alternative to help you lose weight.
In fact, every 450 ml of donated blood can burn up to 650 calories.
However, you need to consume enough food and water before donating blood to prevent fatigue.
4. Maintain Heart Health
The next benefit of donating blood is helping enhance heart function.
This activity can promote blood circulation and help prevent high blood pressure by reducing intravascular fluid volume.
Thus, donating blood regularly will help maintain heart health.
5. Lowering Cholesterol Level
Donating blood can lower cholesterol levels. This is because cholesterol is a compound circulated in the blood; when you donate blood, the compound is expelled as well.
You can truly experience these benefits by donating blood regularly.
6. Minimizing the Risk of Cancer
Reducing the risk of cancer is also one of the health benefits of donating blood.
One cancer risk factor is free radicals in the body that settle in the bloodstream.
If you donate blood regularly, your risk of cancer may also decrease.
7. Maintain Mental Health
Another goal of donating blood is helping maintain mental health. In fact, donating blood is a social practice that can save others’ lives.
This can motivate people to keep living, build a healthy soul, and increase empathy. Therefore, it helps maintain mental health stability.
8. Prolong Life
The final health benefit of donating blood is that it helps extend one’s lifespan.
This statement is mentioned in research in Health Psychology that if someone does social activities regularly, they tend to have a longer lifespan.
Now, by donating blood regularly, you can contribute to society. At the same time, you may be able to prolong your life.
Requirement for Blood Donation
After reading about the benefits of donating blood, are you interested in doing it as well?
If so, you must meet the requirements. Here are some requirements for blood donation:
- Blood donors must be 17-70 years old.
- Weight minimum at 45 kg.
- For donors with high blood pressure, systolic blood pressure must be below 180, and diastolic must be 100 or below.
- For donors with low blood pressure, the systolic/diastolic range is around 90/50.
- Hemoglobin must be 12.5–17 g/dL, with a maximum of 20 g/dL.
That concludes the information on World Blood Donor Day, its benefits, and the requirements.
As previously discussed, donating blood is very important for our health.
After you donate blood, the one thing you need to do is meet your body's hydration needs.
To fulfill your hydration needs, you can drink #AQUADULU after donating your blood to avoid weakness or fatigue.
AQUA is nature-sourced mineral water and preserves its properties because it has been clinically tested. You can drink AQUA directly without chilling it first.
This is because AQUA is 100% mountain-sourced drinking water, so it feels naturally cold when you drink it.
So, prepare AQUA at home to meet your hydration needs! Created by nature, 100% PURE mineral water without any additives, just like how nature wants you to have it.
Read also: 10 Benefits of Cleaning the House Regularly
