Heart risk linked to blood type
Wednesday August 15th, 2012
Blood type is linked to risk of heart disease, researchers say today.
Those with blood type O, the commonest type, have the lowest risk, say Dr Lu Qi of Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, USA, and colleagues.
The team used figures on 89,501 mainly Caucasian adults taking part in two large long-term studies, the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.
They found that those with AB, which is the rarest blood type, found in about seven per cent of the US population, have the highest increased heart disease risk - 23 per cent higher than type O. Blood type B carries an 11 per cent increased risk, and type A has a five per cent increased risk.
Details are published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology today (August 15).
Dr Qi says: "While people cannot change their blood type, our findings may help physicians better understand who is at risk for developing heart disease.
"It's good to know your blood type the same way you should know your cholesterol or blood pressure numbers. If you know you're at higher risk, you can reduce the risk by adopting a healthier lifestyle, such as eating right, exercising and not smoking."
However, Dr Qi cannot fully explain the reasons for the link. "Blood type is very complicated, so there could be multiple mechanisms at play," he said.
But type A may be linked with higher levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol which can clog arteries, and type AB is linked to greater inflammation. People with type O appear to have more of a substance that improves blood flow.
British experts said it would be difficult for people to change blood type to reduce heart disease risk.
Doireann Maddock, <!a nurse with> of the British Heart Foundation, said: “While these findings are certainly interesting we’ll need more research to draw any firm conclusions about blood type and its role in heart disease risk.
“Nobody can influence what type of blood they are born with but a healthy lifestyle is something everybody can have an influence over. Eating healthily, getting active and stopping smoking are the types of things you should be worrying about, not your blood type.”
ABO Blood Group and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Two Prospective Cohort Studies. Qi, L. et al. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology August 15 2012 doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.112.248757
Tags: Heart Health | North America | UK News
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