DALLAS, Aug. 14, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- People with blood type A, B,or AB had a higher risk for coronary heart disease when compared tothose with blood type O, according to new research published inArteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, an American HeartAssociation journal.People in this study with the rarest blood type -- AB, found in about 7percent of the U.S. population -- had the highest increased heartdisease risk at 23 percent. Those with type B had an 11 percentincreased risk, and those with type A had a 5 percent increased risk.About 43 percent of Americans have type O blood.
“While people cannot change their blood type, our findings may helpphysicians better understand who is at risk for developing heartdisease,” said Lu Qi, M.D., Ph.D., the study’s senior author and anassistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the HarvardSchool of Public Health in Boston.
Knowing your blood type can be an important part of staying healthy andavoiding heart disease, Qi said. “It’s good to know your blood type thesame way you should know your cholesterol or blood pressure numbers,"he said. “If you know you’re at higher risk, you can reduce the risk byadopting a healthier lifestyle, such as eating right, exercising andnot smoking.”
The findings are based on an analysis of two large, well-known U.S.studies -- 62,073 women from the Nurses’ Health Study and 27,428 adultsfrom the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Participants werebetween ages 30 and 75, and both groups were followed for 20 years ormore.
Researchers also considered the study participants’ diet, age, bodymass index, gender, race, smoking status, menopause status and medicalhistory. Researchers noted that the percentages of different bloodtypes seen among the men and women enrolled in the two studiesreflected levels seen in the general population.
The study did not evaluate the biological processes behind blood typeand heart disease risk.
“Blood type is very complicated, so there could be multiple mechanismsat play,” Qi said.
However, there is evidence suggesting that type A is associated withhigher levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the waxysubstance that can clog arteries, and type AB is linked toinflammation, which may affect the function of the blood vessels. Also,a substance that plays a favorable role in blood flow and clotting maybe higher in people with type O blood.
Understanding blood type could help healthcare providers better tailortreatments, Qi suggested. For example, a patient with type A blood maybest lower heart disease risk by decreasing cholesterol intake.
The study group was predominantly Caucasian, and it’s not clear whetherthese findings would translate to other ethnic groups. Environment alsocontributes to risk, Qi said.
“It would be interesting to study whether people with different bloodtypes respond differently to lifestyle intervention, such as diet,” Qisaid, noting that further analysis is needed.
Co-authors are Meian He, M.D., Ph.D.; Brian Wolpin, M.D., M.P.H.;Kathryn Rexrode, M.D.; JoAnn E. Manson, M.D., Dr.PH.; Eric Rimm Sc.D.and Frank B. Hu, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D.
The National Institutes of Health, the American Heart AssociationScientist Development Award and the Boston Obesity Nutrition ResearchCenter funded the study.
Learn more about the key factors and behaviors to avoiding heartdisease and stroke risks -- what the American Heart Association callsLife’s Simple 7(TM) -- and what you can do to live a healthierlifestyle.
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