WHY CYCLISTS MAKE GOOD ORGAN DONORS

You’ve worked hard for a body that gets nods of approval at your annual check-up. As difficult as it is to think about the circumstances that would lead to donating your organs, your cycling fitness makes you an ideal candidate. If you’re on the fence about signing up (or haven’t got around to it), here’s why being a cyclist increases your chances to help people if the worst happens.

1 YOUR HEART IS STRONG. Dr Anuj Shah, an interventional cardiologist, says he can occasionally tell if a donor was an endurance athlete because of the languid way it will beat when he does an ultrasound assessment to see if it’s a potential match for his patient.

2 YOUR LIVER IS TOPNOTCH. Regular exercise keeps your liver healthy. It’s estimated that between 30 and 40 per cent of adults have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which can lead to advancedstage liver disease and failure. According to a 2014 review published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, this upward trend significantly impacts the donor pool of viable livers. Riding your bike decreases your risk of NAFLD, meaning avid cyclists may have livers that are in better shape than those of the sedentary.

3 DOCTORS MAY HAVE MORE TIME TO MAKE DECISIONS. A 2019 review published in the American Journal of Sports Science found that cycling and American football result in the largest number of head injuries reported due to sport-related activity. And – as awful as this truth is – people with traumatic head injuries are ideal organ donation candidates. Organs cannot remain viable outside the body for more than a few hours. When a patient is brain dead but their heart is still pumping, organs can remain in the body for longer, and transplant teams have more time to find matches. Additionally, these donors are typically healthy up until the moment of their injury.