Does your blood type affect your health?

Dr Douglas Street , Contributor

In recent times, many of us have seen information on the Internet about what diet is most appropriate for different blood types. As usual, there are believers and skeptics. But is there any truth to it? Does your blood type affect your health in any way?

Most persons are curious about their blood type. Most of us know about the major blood groups - O, A, B and AB, and Rhesus negative and positive groups. Knowing what blood group a person belongs to helps us to determine to whom that person can give blood, and from whom he can receive it. It is also important in pregnancy as during delivery, a little mixing of the mother's and baby's blood occurs. This can lead to reactions which can affect the current, or a future, baby.

OTHER EFFECTS ON HEALTH

Surprisingly, the blood type can have other effects on health. Studies have shown that different blood types have differing risks for certain disease conditions. Research has found that compared with persons belonging to blood group O, those in the group AB have a 23 per cent greater risk of developing coronary heart disease. Those with group B have a 15 per cent higher risk; and those with type A have a six per cent higher risk.

This may be partly because those with group O blood type form blood clots less readily while those with group B blood type generally have higher levels of total cholesterol, as well as LDL ('bad') cholesterol. Therefore, persons with blood types other than O may need to be more vigilant about their diet and lifestyle.

Other studies have shown other interesting information as well. They have shown that men and women with blood type AB and women with type B are more likely to have strokes. Also, certain forms of the Rotavirus (the virus mainly responsible for gastro-enteritis) are more likely to infect those with blood type A.

Again, compared with blood type O, those with type B have a 72 per cent greater risk of developing pancreatic cancer; AB, 51 per cent greater ; and A, 32 per cent greater.

Also, those belonging to group A have a generally higher risk of developing cancer than those belonging to group O. Specifically, those belonging to group A have a higher incidence of breast and lung cancer, while gastro-intestinal cancer seems more common in those with types O and B, and oral cancer more frequent in types A and B.

On the other hand, persons with type O tend to have fertility challenges more frequently.

Dr Douglas Street is a general practitioner and has private practices at Trinity Medical Centre, Trinity Mall at 3 Barnett Street in Montego Bay, and Omega Medical Centre at Plaza de Negril, Negril. Send feedback to drdougstreet@yahoo.com.