Your Blood Group Helps Determine Your Risk of Heart Disease ... A New Study.

 Do you know your blood group ?

 If no, then here’s another reason why you should know your blood type as soon as possible. Your blood group type may provide the essential clue if you are prone to any heart disease risk.

 A new study has concluded that there is a link between blood group type and heart disease. A team led by Dr. Meian He, an epidemiologist in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, reviewed data from two large studies that looked at more than 89,000 people between 1976 and 2006. The researchers considered two Harvard studies, one that tracked 62,000 women over 26 years, and one that tracked 27,400 men over 24 years. In total, more than 2,500 people were diagnosed with heart disease. These participants were asked to report their blood group type, as well as whether they had suffered a heart attack.
Analysis of the results found that individuals with non-O blood groups — meaning A, B, or AB — had a significantly higher likelihood of developing coronary heart disease.

The Harvard University researchers concluded people with blood group AB were 23 per cent more likely to suffer from heart disease.
Group B blood increased the risk by 11 per cent, and blood group A by 5 per cent. Blood group O individuals are the safest on this front.
The study was published on 14th August,2012 in the American Heart Association journal ''Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology''.

Blood type O is the country’s most common, accounting for about 40 % of Indians. Blood type A is second in line (28%), and B is third (25%). Blood type AB is the least common (7%).
The research is the latest to suggest a relationship between blood type and a risk of heart disease.
"While people cannot change their blood type, our findings may help physicians & public better understand who is at risk for developing heart disease," said study author Dr. Lu Qi, assistant professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. The association with blood group type held even after the researchers took into account variables that affect people's risk of heart disease, such as cholesterol levels, smoking, diabetes and hypertension. 

The results are "totally surprising," said Dr. Richard Stein, a cardiologist and spokesperson for the American Heart Association. While other smaller studies have suggested such a correlation, this is the first large-scale study to support the connection, he noted.  

Stein said that while further research is needed, blood type could be added to the list of factors that are considered when a doctor assesses a patient for risk of heart disease, particularly because blood tests to determine it are inexpensive and have no side effects. 

"It's good to know your blood type the same way you should know your cholesterol or blood pressure numbers, 
"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,"  Knowing that one's blood type puts them at higher risk may increase people's motivation to "take care of themselves and stop their bad habits,"

“This study adds to the existing literature demonstrating a significant association between ABO blood group and cardiovascular adverse events. And theories have been proposed to explain this link. Many suggest that having type A, B or AB blood may result in higher levels of certain clotting factors in the blood, or it may predispose you to higher bad cholesterol levels (LDL) ,  there is evidence suggesting that type A is associated with higher levels of LDL or bad cholesterol, the waxy substance that can clog arteries, and type AB is linked to inflammation, which may affect the function of the blood vessels, while people with type O blood may benefit from a substance that is thought to assist blood flow and reduce clotting, an American Heart Association statement said.

But experts warn that while blood type O may offer some protection from heart trouble, blood type alone will not compensate for other factors that are linked to cardiovascular disease.