You might not give your blood type much thought if it hasn’t been provided to you recently. Which of the eight major blood types you have flowing through your veins depends on the presence or absence of certain molecules known as A or B antigens and a protein known as the Rh factor.
The blood types listed here are A+, A-, B+, B-, AB+, AB-, O+, or O-, according to the American Red Cross. According to a 2013 paper in the journal Blood Transfusion, however, these antigens affect more than just your blood.
Your blood type may be related to your chance of acquiring specific diseases since they can affect other areas of your body including blood vessels, neurons, and platelets. Why should you be aware of your blood type?
It probably won’t tell you anything about your personality
There is a hypothesis that claims your blood type might explain your behaviour. While that hasn’t been demonstrated in substantial part, one Japanese study indicated that several personality characteristics varied between blood types.
Persistence was one area where type A individuals performed better than type B or type O. Even the researchers acknowledge that there isn’t enough evidence to establish the link. It appears that you cannot use your blood type as an excuse for your actions until we know more.
Types A, B, AB: Heart disease
Von Willebrand factor and factor VIII, two blood-clotting proteins, are found in 25–30% greater concentrations in non-O blood types. According to 2015 research from BMC Medicine, these persons also had a 15% higher chance of dying from heart disease compared to people with other blood types, in part because of that disparity.
Type O: Lower risk of blood clots
Type Os are also less prone to develop blood clots because they have lower levels of the proteins that aid in blood coagulation. (The drawback is that excessive bleeding is prevented by blood coagulation.) Nevertheless, a variety of factors can result in blood clots.
According to Terry B. Gernsheimer, MD, a haematologist and the head of the UW Medical Transfusion Service at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance in Washington, “It shouldn’t be assumed that being an O blood type indicates a someone is ‘protected’ or an A blood type is at increased risk.”
Type O: Fertility problems
The most prevalent blood type may be type O, and it may cause problems during pregnancy. O types were twice as likely to have follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels that were high enough to signal inadequate ovarian reserve, or fewer egg cells available for fertilisation, according to study reported in the journal Human Reproduction.
Another research that was published in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics indicated that type B blood women had a greater chance of having successful IVF (i.e., a live birth) than type O or A blood women.
Non-O type: An increased risk of gastric cancer
The non-O blood types (A, B, or AB) also had a greater risk of stomach cancer, probably as a result of an inflammatory reaction to the H. pylori bacterium, according to another intriguing discovery from the BMC Medicine study that connected specific blood types to a higher risk of heart disease. Gastric ulcers are brought on by the bacterium.
Non-O types: Deep vein thrombosis
According to research reported in the journal Blood Transfusion, A/B blood types are more likely than O blood types to experience venous thromboembolism, a clot that develops in the deep veins of the leg, groyne, or arm (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT), and can break off and travel to the lungs (pulmonary embolism). The study also discovered that non-O types who had inherited thrombophilia, a disorder that causes irregular blood clotting, double their risk.
Type AB: Memory loss
Although AB is the least prevalent blood type, study from 2014 found that those with AB are 82 percent more likely than those with other blood types to experience cognitive problems that might eventually result in dementia. The authors of the research hypothesise that this could be because AB blood has more factor VIII in it.
Type A or B: Diabetes
A research in the journal Diabetologia found that people with blood types A or B had an up to 21% higher chance of acquiring type 2 diabetes than people with blood types O. (Those who tested positive for B had the best chances.)
Although the specific cause is unknown, one theory put out by experts is that the blood type may have an impact on the GI flora, which can alter inflammation and glucose metabolism.