Blood Type โO Linked to Increased Resistance to Infection, but No “Strongest” Group Exists, Expert Says
LAUSANNE, Switzerland โฃ- individuals with blood type O may possess a slight advantage against certain infectious diseases, including COVID-19 โand โฃsevere malaria, according to research and insights from Professor Jean-Daniel Tissot, a hematologist and former deanโฃ of the Faculty of Biology and Medicine in Lausanne. However, experts caution against labeling any single blood group as definitively “stronger” than others, emphasizing the relative nature of these protections and the overriding importance โofโข lifestyle and age in overall health.
blood โgroups -โค O,โค A, B, โand AB – are genetically steadfast by the presence โฃor absence of proteins or sugars on the surface of red โฃbloodโค cells. While some โขare linked to sugars โ(ABO system) and others to proteins, this biological diversityโ likely evolved over millennia, offering advantages against now-extinct pathogens, explains Professor Tissot.”There are differences in susceptibility to certain diseases,but nothing that โallows us to establish a hierarchy between groups,” he stated. โ
Research indicates those with type O blood may experience a lower risk of COVID-19 and demonstrate better resistance to severe forms of malaria. Conversely, โขindividuals with blood โฃtypes A, B, and AB may face a higher risk of cardiovascular disease orโข thrombosis, โwith those in group A exhibiting a slightly increased predisposition โขto stomach cancer. Peopleโค with blood type O are also noted to be less susceptible to bleeding โdisorders.
Despite these varying susceptibilities,Professor Tissot stresses that immunity to infections isโ largely secondary to factors like lifestyle and age. “Blood type is mostโค crucial for transfusion and transplantation, not in everyday health,” he concluded.