From: Robert Bradbury <bradbury@genebee.msu.su>
>> Twice a month I donate platelets which has the temporary effect
>>of lowering your cholesterol. So perhaps if we discover the right
>>trigger chemical this would induce people to give regularly.
>Brian, do you have a real reference for this? I thought platelets
>were mostly protein, in which case the donation would have a
>questionable effect on fat. [Of course there is some in the lipid
>bilayer, but that seems small.]
I was told this by a researcher at the blood center. Basically
apheresis is a centrifical process as I understand it. Anything
heavier than the red blood cells is extracted, then the red blood
cells are fed back to you. The result is a large bag filled with a
milky yellow somewhat viscous liquid.
Because of my size and platelet count, they routinely take double
and occasionally triple batches from me. It normally takes 1 1/2 to
two hours. So I guess they're actually extracting a significant
portion of the lipid in the bloodstream.
I'll see if I can find a reference for this.
Brian
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