Blood donation and effect on fitness

[cpscdave]

A couple weeks ago I gave blood.
Obviously for the week afterwards I found an difference in my fitness. I tired more easily and couldn't push as hard during fitness classes.

This got me wondering how donating blood affects your fitness level.

If you train after a donation would this prompt an increase in your oxygen carrying capacity over and above that if you had simply trained?

 

[SteamKing]

Obviously, by donating a pint of whole blood, you have removed a certain amount of the red blood cells from your body, which carry oxygen from the lungs to your muscles. This reduction in the oxygen-carrying ability of your bloodstream gradually returns as your body replaces what was donated.

Certain competitive athletes have been suspected in the past of 'blood doping', wherein these individuals will receive a transfusion of blood to temporarily increase the amount of red blood cells, with the theory being that the extra red corpuscles will allow their blood to carry more oxygen while they are competing. Unlike using performance-enhancing drugs, it was once difficult to detect if an athlete was 'blood doping', but now several tests have been developed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_doping

 

[Pythagorean]

Even better, take the blood of your children for doping!

http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/05/young-blood-renews-old-mice

 

[SteamKing]

Even better, take the blood of your children for doping!

http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/05/young-blood-renews-old-mice

That may not be such a good idea, because of possible blood-type mismatch between human parents and offspring.