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Donating plasma? Isn't that really taxing on your body or not?

tomashertus 4y ago
I think it depends on the individual, but for example my grandfather lived completely healthy life till his 89 and was donating his O- blood frequently his entire life. And by frequently I mean at least 6x a year.
- cinntaile 4y ago
  Donating blood is not the same as donating plasma.
- bilekas 4y ago
  So I just did a brief lookup after work because I was curious. For those who want to know. > It is healthy to donate once or twice each week, if there is a 48-hour period between each donation. Plasma is 90% water and frequent donation will not harm you. It can lead to side effects such as dizziness and fatigue, but staying hydrated can help avoid these.
  - madsohm 4y ago
    I've donated plasma a couple of times. The machine they use to separate the plasma from your blood cells will give you your blood back. They mix in a non-coagulating agent. This can give a tingeling feeling in your lips, that is best alleviated by eating chocolate or drinking chocolate milk.
    - imtringued 4y ago
      >This can give a tingeling feeling in your lips, that is best alleviated by eating chocolate or drinking chocolate milk. HAVE YOU lately experienced a craving for chocolate milk? If you’re lucky, it’s just a symptom of lactose intolerance. If you’re less fortunate, there’s a serious glitch in the space-time continuum.
zackmorris 4y ago
That's a good question. It depends on many factors like age and frequency, which might be why it's so popular with college students! Donations clear the blood of stuff like cholesterol and microplastics, so the first donation can leave one feeling better the next day. Donating twice a week can be more taxing on the body and result in stuff like a lower body temperature, slower heartbeat and lower blood pressure because the heart doesn't have to work so hard to pump thinner blood. I'm mostly concerned about using up the body's regenerative ability, since nobody knows how many times that plasma can be synthesized over a lifetime. But many of the components in blood have a natural recycling rate anyway. I suspect that the body can't tell if it's building new plasma from old plasma or nutrients in food though. Without more evidence, I feel that it's better to rely on the expertise of the medical community than speculation. Just my two cents, YMMV.

I think it depends on the individual, but for example my grandfather lived completely healthy life till his 89 and was donating his O- blood frequently his entire life. And by frequently I mean at least 6x a year.

cinntaile 4y ago
Donating blood is not the same as donating plasma.
bilekas 4y ago
So I just did a brief lookup after work because I was curious. For those who want to know. > It is healthy to donate once or twice each week, if there is a 48-hour period between each donation. Plasma is 90% water and frequent donation will not harm you. It can lead to side effects such as dizziness and fatigue, but staying hydrated can help avoid these.
- madsohm 4y ago
  I've donated plasma a couple of times. The machine they use to separate the plasma from your blood cells will give you your blood back. They mix in a non-coagulating agent. This can give a tingeling feeling in your lips, that is best alleviated by eating chocolate or drinking chocolate milk.
  - imtringued 4y ago
    >This can give a tingeling feeling in your lips, that is best alleviated by eating chocolate or drinking chocolate milk. HAVE YOU lately experienced a craving for chocolate milk? If you’re lucky, it’s just a symptom of lactose intolerance. If you’re less fortunate, there’s a serious glitch in the space-time continuum.

zackmorris 4y ago

That's a good question. It depends on many factors like age and frequency, which might be why it's so popular with college students! Donations clear the blood of stuff like cholesterol and microplastics, so the first donation can leave one feeling better the next day. Donating twice a week can be more taxing on the body and result in stuff like a lower body temperature, slower heartbeat and lower blood pressure because the heart doesn't have to work so hard to pump thinner blood. I'm mostly concerned about using up the body's regenerative ability, since nobody knows how many times that plasma can be synthesized over a lifetime. But many of the components in blood have a natural recycling rate anyway. I suspect that the body can't tell if it's building new plasma from old plasma or nutrients in food though. Without more evidence, I feel that it's better to rely on the expertise of the medical community than speculation. Just my two cents, YMMV.