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Promotional Content • Saturday 16th January 2021 What’s in a blood type?
Blood types can give an indication of future health issues such as cancer, heart attack and stroke, underlining the importance of healthy eating and regular exercise. Words: Norman Miller
people remain unaware of a key thing about the red stuff in their own veins — what blood type they are. It isn’t only important in
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transfusions, where getting an incompatible blood type can kill, research suggests blood type is linked to your risk from major health problems including heart attack, stroke, and some cancers. Te four main blood groups are A, B,
AB and O — defined by the presence or absence in the blood cells or plasma of specific antigens (molecules capable of stimulating an immune response) or antibodies. Another factor is the presence (+) or absence (-) of a protein called the rhesus (Rh) factor. Pregnant women need to be checked if they’re rhesus negative or positive, due to a condition where the mother’s blood cells attack her baby. Combinations of antigens and
antibodies that are present or absent create the eight most common blood types: A+, A-, B+, B-, AB+, AB-, O+ and O-. Almost half the UK population has blood group O, while O- is the
PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY
hile millions tuned into Te Crown’s TV portrayal of bad blood amid blue bloods, most
type that can generally be given to anyone in an emergency transfusion. Tere are, however, over 600 known
blood antigens, whose existence underpins a raft of rare blood types. Some are linked to certain racial groups and related health conditions — such as sickle cell disease in the BAME community.
Health links Research has suggested links between A, B, or AB blood types and various health problems — such as a slightly higher incidence of coronary heart disease. More alarming, perhaps, are suggestions of up to 80% higher likelihood of brain-related conditions like dementia. A 2019 study also found people with AB blood were up to three times more likely as those in other blood groups to
“Research has suggested
links between A, B, or AB blood types and various health problems”
suffer with some kind of psychiatric disorder. A, B, and AB blood types have
also been linked to heightened risk of several cancers, including lung, breast, colorectal, prostate and cervical. Type A blood shows a particular link to gastric cancer. But don’t despair. We can all lower our risk from serious health problems by eating healthily, exercising regularly and not smoking. Tere isn’t, however, any scientific evidence to support blood type diets — the idea that people should eat according to their blood type. Tis was popularised in 1996
after Dr Peter D’Adamo published Eat Right 4 Your Type, a best seller that prescribed specific diets for different groups, claiming to optimise health. In 2013, over 1,000 studies were reviewed, and researchers concluded: ‘No evidence currently exists to validate the purported health benefits of blood type diets.’ You should still find out your
blood type — just don’t forget the simple good health stuff you already know.
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