Scientific studies continue to indicate a correlation between cardiovascular disease and blood type. O blood type individuals are less prone to developing cardiovascular disease than other blood type individuals. This can be insightful regarding the influence of variables outside of the conventional metrics of blood pressure and cholesterol.
Blood type and coronary heart disease
A 2012 study published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, Epidemiologic studies have revealed that A, B, or AB blood carriers are more prone to coronary heart disease compared to O blood carriers. Findings indicate higher rates of heart attacks and heart failure among non-O blood carriers. Blood group O, conversely, is found to possess a mild protective effect, lowering the risk of significant cardiovascular events.
The study
Over two decades of follow-up, rigorous research found out that individuals with non-O type blood (A, B & AB) had a significantly higher risk (about 6-23% higher) of developing CHD compared to those with blood type O. The findings suggest that blood type O may offer modest cardiovascular protection, possibly due to lower levels of clotting factors like von Willebrand factor and factor VIII, as well as favorable impacts on cholesterol and inflammation markers. Specifically the risk was 11% higher for NON-O blood types.
Stroke risk
Blood group has also been implicated in the risk for stroke, especially in the case of strokes occurring at an earlier age. There has been evidence that indicates people with blood group A being more prone to a stroke before the age of 60. Type O individuals have a reduced risk, and this is how blood group might be a component of overall cardiovascular integrity. The findings of a 2014 study, published in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, investigated a total of 646 cases and it concluded that in non-diabetic individuals, blood type AB had about 1.6 to nearly 7 times higher risk of stroke compared to type O, while the overall risk was about 1 to 3.3 times higher in the full population.
Why blood type matters
The variation in cardiovascular risk by blood groups is thought to be due to variation in inflammation and clotting. Non-O blood group individuals have higher concentrations of the clotting factors factor VIII and von Willebrand factor. Their higher concentrations potentiate the formation of harmful clots. Non-O blood groups also have higher concentrations of inflammatory markers, which potentially lead to the development of heart disease in the long term.Although the blood type cannot be altered, knowing that Type O blood has a lower risk of heart disease will give guidance to prevention with emphasis. Patients with other blood types must be at risk for more intense cardiovascular checkups and bold intervention into risk variables like diet, exercise, and blood pressure.Type O patients have been shown to be at lower risk for heart disease and stroke early in life compared to non-O patients. Scientific research suggests that differences in clotting factors and inflammation could be the cause of the protective effect. Understanding these subtleties can assist healthcare providers and patients in making more informed decisions regarding cardiovascular prevention and treatment.
