Blood health confusion keeps millions guessing about their wellness. Can you actually improve blood health through diet, or is it mostly determined by your genes? Will drinking more water make a difference? Would you feel symptoms if something was wrong?
These questions matter because the answers shape daily decisions—what you eat, how often you see your doctor, and whether you take action or wait until problems develop. We've compiled the top 5 blood health questions that reveal widespread misconceptions. Understanding the truth empowers you to make better decisions about your wellness and avoid potentially dangerous mistakes.
Question 1: Is Blood Health Determined by Genetics, or Can Lifestyle Actually Change It?
The Myth: Your blood health is mostly inherited from your parents. If your family has blood pressure problems, anemia, or clotting issues, there's not much you can do about it.
The Truth: While genetics influence your baseline and risk factors, lifestyle choices have a powerful impact on blood health outcomes [1]. Research consistently shows that diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management can improve blood pressure, iron levels, circulation, and cholesterol—even when family history suggests higher risk.
Your genes determine blood type, baseline ranges for hemoglobin, and risk tendencies for inherited conditions like sickle cell disease or thalassemia. But your daily choices significantly impact blood pressure (lifestyle changes can lower it 10-20 points), iron levels, cholesterol, circulation, and inflammation markers [2].
Studies of identical twins—who share 100% of their DNA—show that lifestyle differences create significant blood health variations [1]. One twin who exercises and eats well can have dramatically different blood pressure and cholesterol than their sedentary sibling.
The Bottom Line: Genetics load the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger. You can't change your inherited risk factors, but you can absolutely influence how those genes express themselves through daily choices. Family history means you should be more vigilant—not that you should give up. Learn more about the lifestyle factors that support blood health
Question 2: Can You Feel When You Have High Blood Pressure?
The Myth: If you have high blood pressure, you'll experience symptoms like headaches, dizziness, or facial flushing that alert you to the problem.
The Truth: Hypertension is called the "silent killer" because it typically produces no noticeable symptoms [2]. You can feel perfectly fine while high blood pressure silently damages your blood vessels, heart, kidneys, and brain.
Many people avoid blood pressure monitoring because they "feel fine." But by the time symptoms appear, significant damage has often already occurred. High blood pressure damages blood vessel walls gradually over months and years, and feeling healthy doesn't mean your blood pressure is healthy.
While hypertension itself rarely causes symptoms, severe hypertensive crisis (blood pressure above 180/120) can produce severe headaches, vision changes, chest pain, difficulty breathing, or irregular heartbeat—requiring immediate emergency care.
The only reliable way to know your blood pressure is to measure it regularly—at least annually during checkups, or more frequently with home monitoring if you have risk factors [3].
The Bottom Line: Never assume normal blood pressure based on how you feel. Regular monitoring catches problems early when lifestyle changes can often reverse high blood pressure without medication. Discover how blood pressure connects to overall cardiovascular health
Question 3: Does Drinking More Water Actually Improve Blood Health?
The Myth: Drinking eight glasses of water daily is essential for blood health, and dehydration is a common cause of blood problems.
The Truth: Adequate hydration supports blood health, but the relationship is more nuanced than the "8 glasses a day" rule suggests [4]. Your blood is approximately 55% plasma, which is 90% water—so hydration matters, but individual needs vary significantly based on body size, activity level, climate, and overall health.
Proper hydration maintains blood volume for circulation, prevents blood from thickening (which makes it harder to pump), and ensures efficient nutrient transport and oxygen delivery. However, the "8 glasses a day" recommendation lacks strong scientific backing [4]. Actual needs depend on body weight, activity level, climate, diet, and health conditions.
Rather than counting glasses, monitor urine color (pale yellow indicates good hydration), thirst levels, and energy. Hydration becomes especially critical before blood donation, during illness, with iron supplementation, and in hot weather.
The Bottom Line: Hydration supports blood health, but there's no magic number of glasses. Listen to your body, monitor urine color, and drink when thirsty. Most healthy people who eat a balanced diet and drink fluids with meals maintain adequate hydration without obsessive tracking.
Question 4: Is Blood Actually Blue Inside Your Body?
The Myth: Your blood is blue when it's inside your veins and only turns red when exposed to oxygen outside your body.
The Truth: Human blood is always red—never blue [5]. This persistent myth likely stems from anatomy textbooks that color-code veins (blue) and arteries (red) for clarity, combined with the bluish appearance of veins visible through your skin.
The blue appearance you see through your skin results from how light interacts with your tissue, not the actual color of your blood [5]. Your skin absorbs red wavelengths more effectively than blue wavelengths, so blue light reflects back to your eyes, making veins appear blue or purple. Deeper veins appear more blue due to additional tissue filtering light.
Arterial blood (leaving the lungs) is bright cherry red with high oxygen. Venous blood (returning to the lungs) is dark maroon red with lower oxygen—but still red, never blue.
The Bottom Line: If you've ever given blood, had blood drawn, or cut yourself, you've seen the truth firsthand. Blood from veins is always red—just a darker shade than arterial blood. The blue veins you see through your skin are an optical illusion, not evidence of blue blood.
Question 5: Can You Monitor Blood Health Without Getting Lab Tests?
The Myth: The only way to monitor blood health is through expensive, inconvenient lab tests that require doctor visits and needles.
The Truth: While comprehensive blood testing remains the gold standard for diagnosis and medical decisions, modern wellness technology now enables convenient tracking of certain blood health indicators between medical appointments [6]. The ideal approach combines both methods.
Annual blood work provides irreplaceable information—Complete Blood Count (CBC), hemoglobin, iron panels, lipid panels, and blood glucose tests are necessary for diagnosis and monitoring serious conditions. Healthy adults should get comprehensive blood work annually, with more frequent testing (every 3-6 months) for chronic conditions like diabetes or heart disease [3].
Between doctor visits, home devices like blood pressure monitors and pulse oximeters track useful trends. Smartphone technology like the Ruby app uses fingernail selfie technology to estimate Iron Score (likelihood of iron deficiency) and Circulation Score (fingertip blood flow), plus tracks mood, hydration, supplements, and menstrual cycles.
Important: Ruby and similar wellness tools are not medical devices. They provide estimates and trends but cannot diagnose conditions or replace blood tests ordered by your healthcare provider.
The Bottom Line: You don't need expensive lab tests every week, but you do need comprehensive blood work annually. Between appointments, wellness technology like Ruby provides valuable insights into your blood health trends, helping you stay informed and catch potential issues early.
Download Ruby to begin tracking your Iron and Circulation Scores between medical appointments. Technology empowers you to stay engaged with your health—but always partner with healthcare providers for diagnosis and treatment.
Click here to download Ruby via the iOS or Android app stores.
Take Control of Your Blood Health
Understanding blood health truth versus fiction empowers better health decisions. The five questions we've explored reveal how common misconceptions can lead to delayed care, unnecessary worry, or missed opportunities for early intervention.
Don't let myths prevent you from taking charge of your blood health. Regular medical checkups combined with informed daily choices create the foundation for long-term wellness.
Want to learn more about blood health fundamentals? Read our comprehensive guide: Why Your Blood Health Matters
References
[1] Cleveland Clinic. "Genetics and Blood Disorders." Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/genetics-blood-disorders
[2] American Heart Association. "Understanding Blood Pressure Readings." Available at: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings
[3] National Institutes of Health. "Beyond the Basic Blood Tests." Available at: https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2024/06/beyond-basic-blood-tests
[4] Harvard Health Publishing. "How Much Water Should You Drink?" Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-water-should-you-drink
[5] Hopkins Medicine. "Facts About Blood." Available at: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/facts-about-blood
[6] Sanguina. "Ruby Wellness App." Available at: https://sanguina.com/pages/ruby
Leave a comment
This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.