Beneficial gene mutation discovered in frequent blood donors

Regular blood donation not only saves lives but also improves the donor's own blood at the genetic level, according to new research.

Donating blood at a blood donation center in Switzerland - Photo: REUTERS

An international team of researchers compared blood samples from 217 men who had donated blood more than 100 times in their lives with 212 men who had donated blood less than 10 times in their lives (at the time of the study) to see if there were any differences in their blood.

Although the differences were small, the blood of frequent donors was more likely to have beneficial mutations in a gene called DNMT3A. Other mutations in DNMT3A have previously been linked to leukemia.

"Our study is an interesting example of how our genes interact with the environment and as we age," ScienceAlert quoted stem cell biologist Dominique Bonnet, working at the Francis Crick Institute (UK), as saying.

In particular, the team looked at blood stem cells, which produce more blood than the body needs. As we age, this mechanism can break down, leading to blood cancers such as leukemia.

The team found that people with the beneficial mutation in DNMT3A produced blood cells faster than those without the mutation, suggesting that frequent blood loss leads to the production of more mutant blood cells.

“Activities that put less stress on blood cell production allow our blood cells to regenerate. We believe this allows mutations to promote stem cell growth rather than cause disease,” says Bonnet.

Research in mice shows that mutations in DNMT3A lead to “healthier” blood after the stress of blood loss. Follow-up tests in mice also show the ability to enhance blood regeneration without causing potentially harmful genetic mutations.

However, the team's sample size was quite modest, so the team cannot say that donating blood definitely reduces the rate of pre-leukemia mutations. The team will need to study with larger sample sizes in the future.

Previous studies have also found other benefits of donating blood to save lives, such as helping to increase new blood production, reduce the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, support weight loss and increase calorie burning...

The study was published in the journal Blood .

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