I've been telling you for a very long time about the value of donating your blood as a safe means to reduce iron levels and protecting your heart, especially for men who are more prone to iron overload.

American researchers studied the effect of donating blood on some 1,300 male and female patients, ranging in age from 43-87, with peripheral artery disease (PAD). Over the course of the six-year study, blood was drawn at six-month intervals from some patients but not all of them.

At first, scientists found no discernable differences in terms of heart attack or mortality rates, until they re-examined the results based on age. In younger patients -- those in the 43-61 age bracket -- there were fewer deaths among people who gave blood and a declining number of non-fatal strokes and heart attacks.

During the time my clinic has been checking the iron levels of all patients, I've found almost half of the men have excessive amounts of iron in their blood. Thus, their health would benefit greatly from donating their blood anywhere from 1-6 times annually, depending on the overload of iron -- the ultimate anti-antioxidant -- in their bodies.