Those born with the blood types A, B and AB are more likely to suffer from heart disease than those with typo O, a new study from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston shows.
For the study, researchers examined data collected from over 62,000 women from the Nurses' Health Study and over 27,000 men and women as part of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. The data was collected over 20 years from adults between the ages of 30 and 75.
Overall, people with blood types A, B and AB were 23 percent more likely to develop heart disease than those with type O. AB is the rarest of all blood types. Researchers could not explain the link, but said it could be a useful diagnostic.
"While people cannot change their blood type, our findings may help physicians better understand who is at risk of developing heart disease. It's good to know your blood type the same way you should know your cholesterol or blood pressure numbers," lead researcher Lu Qi said.
"If you know you're at higher risk, you can reduce the risk by adopting a healthier lifestyle, such as eating right, exercising and not smoking."
The study appears in this week's issue of the American Heart Association Journal.
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com