Reporting their findings in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at the University of Minnesota said that kidney donation doe not have any long-term effect on either the health or the longevity of life of the donor.

Interestingly, the study found that not only do the kidney donors have a normal life span; they also have fewer kidney problems as compared to others. To add to that is the ‘feel good’ factor - “for having made a difference in the person to whom they donated a kidney!”

The conclusions of the long-term study - the first of its kind, spanning over four decades - were based on the analysis of the results for almost 3,700 donors, studied between 1963 and 2007. The physical and mental health of kidney donors was compared to that of the healthy people matched for factors like gender, age, body weight and a few others.

The study found that, by and large, the donors – who were picked on strict parameters of good health, normal blood pressure, no kidney problems, and no diabetes - reported an admirable quality of life, with good kidney function.

Satisfied with the outcome of the extensive study, the lead researcher, Dr. Hassan N. Ibrahim, said: “We’ve suspected all along that kidney donation is a safe practice. We’re hoping that these results will make the decision to donate easier for people and alleviate anxiety about living with one kidney.”