Beech Tree News Network

 Last week, I read an article on the Internet about the correlation between blood type and health conditions. The article, “How Your Blood Type Can Affect Your Health” (written by Rachel Reiff Ellis and medically reviewed by Poonam Sachdev, on WebMD) explained that different blood types appear to make people more or less likely to develop certain health conditions.  Some of the information Ellis included in the article is listed below.

Blood Clots – Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is when the blood clots in a deep vein, like in the legs. These clots sometimes move to the lungs. Research shows that people with type A, B, or AB blood are at a higher risk of VTE.

Diabetes – Type 2 diabetes seems to happen more often in people with blood types A and B. 

Heart Disease – Research shows those having O blood type have a lower risk of coronary heart disease. This may be because other blood types are more likely to have higher cholesterol and higher amounts of a protein that is linked to clotting.

Life Span – Chances are higher that people will live longer if they have type O blood. One reason may be their lowered risk for cardiovascular disease.

Memory – A small study showed that people with memory problems had type AB blood more than any other.

Stress – Stress boosts the body’s level of cortisol, the stress hormone. People with type A blood tend to have more cortisol, anyway. So, these people may have a harder time dealing with stressful situations.

Stroke – The risk for a stroke goes up if you have blood type AB. Doctors think that’s because it’s more likely to clot than other types.

Ulcers – Peptic ulcers, painful open sores that crop up in the lining of the stomach or upper intestine, seem to happen more often with blood type O.

Ellis’ article was new information to me. As Ike Skelton said, “Modern medical advances have helped millions of people live longer, healthier lives. We owe these improvements to decades of investment in medical research.” Perhaps over time, additional research will provide a better understanding of how blood types and health conditions are related, allowing us to be more proactive regarding our health at an earlier age.