Usually we think our blood type is mostly important for donation reasons, and a lot of people haven’t ever bothered to find out what type they are. But new research indicates that it could actually provide some insight on how likely we are to end up with things like heart disease or memory loss.
A series of new studies found connections between blood type and health issues.
One followed 77,000 people for 20 years and found those with Type A blood had a 5 percent increased risk for heart disease compared to those with Type O. Those with Type B had an 11 percent increase, and with Type A/B had a 23 percent increased risk.
Another study linked blood type to attention and memory problems. Following more than 17,000 middle-aged Americans for three years, testers found Type A/B blood nearly doubled the odds of having cognitive difficulties.
“People eating a diet that is higher in Omega 3 fats, eating more crunchy vegetables, lose the visceral fat, take care of blood sugar … that’s going to go a long way toward staving off cognitive decline,” Dr. Drew Ramsey said.
People with Type A blood have a 20 percent higher chance of getting stomach cancer, according to other studies, but those with Type O have a higher chance of developing ulcers.
Managing our health is obviously important in general, but knowing your blood type could help to make your healthy habits more specific to these areas.
