Health reporter<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n People who give blood regularly are more likely to have genetic changes in their blood that could cut the risk of cancer developing, a study suggests.<\/p>\n The researchers, from the Francis Crick Institute, say the findings are “fascinating” and could help understanding of how and why blood cancers develop.<\/p>\n Their study compared the blood of two groups of healthy male donors in their 60s – the first had given blood three times a year for 40 years, the other only about five times in total.<\/p>\n Subtle genetic differences not linked to a high risk of blood cancer were present in more of the frequent-donor group – but because healthier people tend to give blood, this skews the picture.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n With age, the cells in the body – including the blood – naturally develop mutations, which increases the risk of diseases such as cancer developing. <\/p>\n When people donate blood, stem cells in the bone marrow make new blood cells to replace the lost blood – and this could shape the stem cells’ genetic diversity.<\/p>\n The researchers found a similar level of natural genetic mutations in the blood of the two groups – 217 frequent and 212 irregular donors.<\/p>\n But the type of mutation in stem cells was subtly different in:<\/p>\n Analysed in the lab, this mutation grew in a different way in different environments to other mutations linked to diseases such as leukaemia, a type of blood cancer.<\/p>\n “It’s a type of mutation that is not associated with high risk of leukaemia development,” study author Dr Hector Huerga Encabo said.<\/p>\n And when mice were injected with these human blood stem cells in the lab, the cells were found to be good at making red blood cells – a positive sign, Dr Encabo said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The research, published in the journal Blood, was conducted with scientists in Heidelberg and with the help of the German Red Cross blood donation centre.<\/p>\n But the results do not prove donating blood reduces the chances of early blood cancer mutations developing.<\/p>\n “It might be that people who donate blood are more likely to be healthy if they’re eligible and this is also reflected in their blood-cell clones,” senior author Dominique Bonnet, who heads up a stem-cell laboratory at the Crick, said.<\/p>\n And the research team now plans to analyse the blood of much larger numbers of people, including women.<\/p>\n The current findings are a reminder that little everyday things – how people’s environment changes – as well as their age, affects their tissues and blood, changing the stem cells, Dr Encabo said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n NHS Blood and Transplant said the research was “interesting” but further work was needed, because healthier people were more likely to donate.<\/p>\n “The ‘healthy-donor effect’ makes it difficult to study donor health generally,” medical director Dr Lise Estcourt said.<\/p>\n “However, the most important thing is that people chose to donate to improve the health of others.”<\/p>\n Current stocks were “critically low”, the organisation added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In the UK, fit and healthy 17-65-year-olds can give blood – if they meet all the other criteria – but not if they have had cancer, an organ transplant or tested positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), among other reasons.<\/p>\n And some people may have to wait, for example if they have had a baby in the past six months or recently had a tattoo or piercing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Getty](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/a97f\/live\/81fd48e0-fddb-11ef-ab73-2916b85f325b.jpg.webp\")
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Everyday things<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
‘Healthy-donor effect’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Who can donate?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n