Which blood type is more likely to get serious illness? A batch of research answers are here!

There are many discussions about blood types, especially whether people with different blood types have different health conditions? Which blood type is more likely to get a serious illness?

Many clinical studies in recent years have found that there is a certain correlation between different blood types and the incidence of some diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, thrombosis, stroke, and other diseases.

Blood type A: Higher risk of cancer

In 2017, a study conducted by a team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University was published in PLoS One (Public Library of Science One). Since 1986, the team has recruited more than 18,000 volunteers in Shanghai, my country, and followed up on these people for more than 20 years to explore the relationship between blood type and tumors.

The study found that compared with type A blood, people with non-type A blood have a lower risk of digestive system tumors, among which people with type B blood have a 25% and 22% lower risk of gastric cancer and colorectal cancer, respectively, and people with type AB blood have a 24% and 32% lower risk, respectively. And compared with type A blood, people with type AB and type O blood have a 17% and 15% lower risk of pancreatic cancer.

Not only that, after excluding other influencing factors, the researchers found that people with type B blood have a relatively lower risk of cancer. Especially in gastric cancer, bladder cancer, and colorectal cancer, the risk of cancer with type B blood is significantly reduced. In addition, both type B and type AB blood may reduce the occurrence of epidermoid carcinoma and some adenocarcinomas. However, type B and type AB blood are not perfect. In some sarcomas and blood cancers, the role of blood type is not so significant.

① AB blood type: greater risk of thrombosis and stroke

In fact, blood type is also related to the formation of blood clots, and some blood types may be more prone to blood clots.

Studies have found that the risk of thrombosis in type AB blood may be the highest among all blood types, while the risk of thrombosis in type O blood is the lowest.

A study published in 2017 showed that people with AB blood type have a 4% higher risk of thrombosis than those with O blood type. The risk of stroke is 20% higher than that of people with O blood type. AB blood type is a major risk factor for thrombosis, accounting for about 20% of the causes of thrombosis. People with A and B blood types have similar risks of venous thrombosis, but both are higher than those with O blood type.

②Similarly, in 2016, a study published in the journal Circulation also showed that the risk of deep vein thrombosis in the lower limbs in people with non-O blood type is 1.92 times that of people with O blood type, and the risk of pulmonary embolism is 1.75 times that of people with O blood type.

Although the risk of arterial thrombosis, including myocardial infarction and stroke, is not much different between people with type O blood and people with non-type O blood, the risk for arterial thrombosis, including myocardial infarction and stroke, is still slightly higher in people with non-type O blood.

③People with type AB blood are not only more prone to blood clots, but also more likely to suffer from stroke.

In 2014, a study published in the Journal of Thrombosis & Haemostasis also found that people with type AB blood were associated with a higher risk of stroke, possibly because people with type AB blood have higher levels of a protein in their bodies that promotes blood clotting and may lead to stroke.

④O blood type: higher risk of hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids are a common condition that can be painful and embarrassing for the sufferer.

A study published in the journal Gut in April 2021 integrated and analyzed data from about 900,000 people. The study proved for the first time that hemorrhoids are partly caused by genetic factors. Based on single nucleotide polymorphism data, this weak but predictable heritability accounts for 5%; the other 95% is affected by non-genetic factors. Interestingly, the researchers also found that people with type O blood may be more likely to get hemorrhoids. ⑤

However, there are also good things for people with type O blood. In September 2012, a study titled "ABO blood type and risk of coronary heart disease in two prospective cohort studies" published in Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology showed that there is an association between blood type and the risk of coronary heart disease.

The researchers pointed out that people with blood types A, B, and AB have a 5%, 11%, and 23% higher risk of coronary heart disease than people with blood type O, respectively. Although it is not clear how blood type changes this risk, it is known that people with blood type O have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, possibly because they are born with lower levels of inflammation and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. ⑥

Blood type B: Higher risk of diabetes

Diabetes, as a very common chronic disease currently, also has a certain correlation with blood type.

A French study published in the journal Diabetology in 2015 analyzed the data of more than 80,000 patients and showed that compared with people with type O blood, people with type B blood have a 21% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and people with type A blood have a 10% higher risk.

Finally, I would like to remind you that the occurrence of diseases is related to a variety of "acquired factors" in addition to congenital factors, and some acquired factors often play a greater role. No matter which blood type is related to which disease, it is only a reference and there is no need to "worry". If you want to reduce the probability of illness, the most reliable way is to change your lifestyle habits. Only by developing good eating, sleeping, and exercise habits can you increase the probability of health.

References:

① Joyce Yongxu Huang, et al. ABO blood type and the risk of cancer - Findings from the Shanghai Cohort Study. PLoS One. 2017;12(9): e0184295. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184295.

② Franchini M, Marano G, Vaglio S, et al. The Role of ABO Blood Type in Thrombosis Scoring Systems[J]. Semin Thromb Hemost. 2017 Mar 15.

③ Vasan SK, Rostgaard K, Majeed A, et al. ABO Blood Group and Risk of Thromboembolic and Arterial Disease: A Study of 1.5 Million Blood Donors[J]. Circulation, 2016, 133(15): 1449-1457.

④ Zakai NA, Judd SE, Alexander K, et al. ABO blood type and stroke risk: the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke Study. [J]. Journal of Thrombosis & Haemostasis, 2014, 12(4):564-570.

⑤ Zheng T, Ellinghaus D, Juzenas S, et al. Genome-wide analysis of 944133 individuals provides insights into the etiology of hemorrhoidal disease.

⑥ He M, Wolpin B, Rexrode K, et al. ABO blood group and risk of coronary heart disease in two prospective cohort studies[J]. Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology, 2012, 32(9): 2314-2320.

⑦ Fagherazzi G, Gusto G, Clavel-Chapelon F, Balkau B, Bonnet F. ABO and Rhesus blood groups and risk of type 2 diabetes: evidence from the large E3N cohort study. Diabetologia. 2015;58(3):519-22.

Source: Health Times