Blood Type May Affect Your Risk for Heart Disease

Knowing your blood type is important for medical procedures and blood donation, but now, there is a new reason to note your blood type. A new study reports that blood type can indicate your risk for heart disease and stroke.

This study’s research was pooled from two other studies following almost 90,000 patients (ages 30-75) for over a 20 year period. Upon review, researchers found that those with Type O blood type had a lower risk for heart conditions, while those with Type AB were 23% more likely, in comparison to Type O, to develop coronary heart disease. Researchers also reviewed other variables that can affect risk for heart disease, including diabetes, smoking, and cholesterol. All results remained the same with the additional variables taken into account.

Researchers acknowledge that it is impossible to change your blood type, however, the study has yielded information that can better serve your primary care physician. Having these statistics to work with, physicians can start to account for your blood type in preventative and active heart disease treatments. If explored further, these findings could enhance how doctors can diagnose and suggest health regimens specified for someone with a certain blood type.

As they say, knowledge is power. And, in this case, knowing your blood type can help you live a longer, healthier life. Be sure to have regular check-ups with your physician if you do carry a higher risk blood type, and, as always, avoid further increasing your risk factors by watching your cholesterol, eating a healthy diet, and exercising regularly.

  Sources: CBS Health POP http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57493246-10391704/your-blood-type-may-inherently-raise-your-heart-disease-risk-study-suggests/ WebMD http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20120814/blood-type-may-impact-heart-risk Fox News Health http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/08/15/blood-type-may-affect-heart-disease-risk/