Lipid profile of regular blood donors

INTRODUCTION A few reports have linked regular blood donation to the lowering of parameters of lipid profile. Estimating the lipid profile is an accepted method of assessing an individual's risk for coronary heart disease, particularly if there is evidence of lipid peroxidation. Regular blood donation may lower iron stores, and this in turn lowers lipid peroxidation. This study was carried out to determine the effect of blood donation on lipid profile. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eighty-two participants consented to participate and were enrolled into the study, 52 of whom were regular blood donors (study group) and 30 were non-donors (control group). Venous blood (10 mL) was drawn from each subject into new plain screw-capped disposable plastic tubes. This was allowed to clot and the serum was used to determine total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein. RESULTS The mean total cholesterol (4.66 ± 0.86 mmol/L), triglycerides (1.22 ± 0.64 mmol/L), and low-density lipoprotein (2.32 ± 0.73 mmol/L) were significantly lower in the regular blood donors than the control group (5.61 ± 1.26 mmol/L, 1.77 ± 2.9 mmol/L, and 3.06 ± 0.89 mmol/L, respectively; P < 0.05 in all cases). Also, while 42% of the study group had a low/high-density lipoprotein ratio of at least three, about 57% of the control group had a ratio of at least three (P = 0.21). CONCLUSION Regular blood donation may be protective against cardiovascular disease as reflected by significantly lower mean total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels in regular blood donors than in non-donors.