"Researchers confirm safety of kidney donations"

"After the procedure, the donors live as long or longer than those in the general population.

People who donate a kidney to a sick friend or relative live at least as long as others in the general population and may live somewhat longer because they tend to take better care of themselves after the procedure, researchers reported Tuesday.

'We have intuitively . . . felt this way, and hoped that this operation is safe, but this is the first time that we have been able to demonstrate it in a national representation of live donors,' said Dr. Dorry L. Segev of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, lead author of the report in the Journal of the American Medical Assn."

Source:
http://articles.latimes.com