Author: Markham Heid
Source: Prevention
There's a lot your blood can say about you . . . and a lot it can't. Search the web, and you'll dig up articles tying one of the four major blood types (A, B, AB, O) to everything from diet dos and don'ts to partner compatibility. But there's just not a lot of research to back up those claims.
On the other hand, some solid research has linked different blood types to higher rates of certain diseases. (Read more about those in Things Your Blood Type Says About You.) And there are other, subtler ways your blood may affect your life:
- Your allure for mosquitoes
People with blood type O may be up to twice as likely to attract certain species of mosquitoes than people with other blood types, finds a study from Japan's Institute of Pest Control Technology. But it's not all bad news for O's: Other research shows you're less likely to suffer from the deadliest forms of malaria - a disease transmitted by mosquitoes - possibly because deadly malarial proteins don't stick to type O blood cells the way they do to other types. (Check out these 8 plants that repel mosquitos naturally.)
- The bacteria in your gut
People can't stop talking about probiotics, gut microbes, and the many ways the bacteria living in your digestive system may influence your health. A few years ago, European researchers found the species of bacteria in people's intestines tend to break down into three distinct categories. The researchers hypothesized - but didn't prove - that this might be based on a person's blood type. Since then, a separate team from Finland found correlations between blood types and specific strains of gut bacteria. The implications of this are pretty huge; if a doctor could predict what strains of bacteria inhabit your gut based on your blood type, she could potentially make more accurate diet and treatment recommendations - though the Finnish study authors are quick to say lots of follow-up research is needed. (Hack your gut bacteria for easier-than-ever weight loss with The Good Gut Diet.)
More here:
https://www.sott.net/article/375994-Five-things-your-blood-type-says-about-you
Comment: None of these are particularly hard-hitting research, (although the gut bacteria correlation is interesting). It seems we're all too ready to ascribe behaviours and disease proclivities to blood type, yet clearly more research is needed on the subject.
