People with a common blood group enjoy genetic protection against heart disease, researchers have revealed.
A major study reported at the weekend has identified new genetic "profiles" linked to increased risk of heart disease – and also a link with blood group O.
People with O-group blood have gene that protects against heart disease, according to the report in The Lancet.
Experts said the significance of the findings was yet to be established. They may mean that O-group blood is less likely to form clots in the arteries.
Professor Jeremy Pearson, of the British Heart Foundation, which helped with the research, said: "The findings elegantly demonstrate that different mechanisms combine to trigger heart attacks.
"It reinforces that successful prevention requires us to consider both risk factors."
Researcher Dr Muredach Reilly, of the University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, USA, said doctors already knew of links between blood groups and heart disease risk.
As well as identifying genes linked to blood group O, the research highlighted a genetic area, ADAMTS7, linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
During the research some 12,000 people with heart disease were compared with 7,000 people without the problem. Researchers also compared people who had suffered heart attacks with those who had not.
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