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Donating Plasma


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Posted by: KentDog

I am considering donating plasma twice a week from now on. The reason this is in the diet & nutrition forum is because I am curious how I should change my diet if I want to do this. I did some reading about donating plasma on the biolife website, and they state that plasma (which is 57% of your blood) is water (90%) and proteins (10%). Should I increase my protein intake if I know I will be donating plasma later on in the day? Should I eat differently before and after I donate plasma?

The reason I ask these questions now instead of finding out from the clinic later, is because I have found doctors tend to give very "general" and often not the best advice.

For example, last time I had my cholesterol level checked, the doctor said if I wanted to decrease my cholesterol level, I should eat less fats in my diet. However, isn't the best advice to decrease bad fats and increase good fats (EFAs) while on a good diet which balances the rest of the macronutrients?

I have also asked multiple doctors about supplement usage, and ALL of them discouraged even using whey protein (even PWO). So I hope you can see why I am asking here instead of waiting for the nurse or doctor at the clinic to give me their take.. in fact, I expect them to say drink a glass of OJ and eat a cookie afterwards, because that is typically how it goes.

Please let me know what you guys think.


Posted by: Emma-Leigh

Hmmm...

You know... It depends on how exactly they are going to go about the procedure and how much they are going to be taking.

If you are not going to be loosing any red cells (not when you are donating twice a week anyway) then iron, vits - esp B12 and Folate, protein and lots of other things are not going to be lost. So these will not be a problem...

You will need to increase your water intake slightly for the day (just to make sure you maintain a good blood pressure)... But the proteins they take are not the types of proteins that you can simply replace by eating more protein - they are specific molecules that are manufactured in your body and will need to be manufactured again....

I would just stick to a healthy diet - you could slightly increase calories for the day just incase... But if you are donating so regularly it may be that you need to increase calories generally just to make sure you are still able to manufacture everything you need and you can cope with this increased metabolic demand.


Posted by: KentDog

Thanks for the quick response as usual, Emma. I believe they said the red and white blood cells will be put back in after they extract the plasma. The FAQ on the Biolife website is pretty vague on the amount of blood that will be taken, only saying that it will vary depending on your weight.

I suppose I was overthinking the whole thing. Is there anything I should eat right after donating plasma? Just eat a snack or regular meal?


Posted by: Emma-Leigh

Quote:
Originally Posted by KentDog
Thanks for the quick response as usual, Emma. I believe they said the red and white blood cells will be put back in after they extract the plasma.
Yeah - this is usually the case with plasma donation... So you will not be losing/need much in terms of energy/nutrients...

Quote:
I suppose I was overthinking the whole thing. Is there anything I should eat right after donating plasma? Just eat a snack or regular meal?
You are over thinking!

It is not going to be much they take - so I really do not think you will have much of an issue at all. So I would just eat your regular meals....

But if you are 'boarderline' with your blood pressure or blood sugar levels (that is, if something tips you over the edge and makes you get dizzy/light-headed easily) then just make sure you eat something with some carbs beforehand and something with carbs in the meal following....


Posted by: BigDyl

I heard if you're on a heavy roid cycle, you should donate blood.


Posted by: KentDog

Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDyl
I heard if you're on a heavy roid cycle, you should donate blood.
Actually, just the opposite; they will not allow you to donate blood or plasma when on a roid cycle. Something to do with the liver that they screen by doing a finger prick screening before the actual donation process. A friend who told me about donating plasma and had done some himself regularly was not allowed to do it anymore after the screening caught something wrong with his liver (he admitted he was running test).


Posted by: KentDog

So I went to donate plasma yesterday and I was surprised how much it took out of me. I was very exhausted after the whole process. The doctor there had said donors should increase their protein and iron intake and even had a pamphlet about it. However, this is the same doctor who told me it would be okay to lift weights two hours after donating plasma (NOT a good idea).



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