ISLAMABAD – People from blood groups A, B and AB are more at risk of heart diseases than those with the more common blood type O, a study suggests.
Those with the rarest blood group, AB, are the most vulnerable - they are 23 per cent more likely to suffer from heart diseases than those with blood group O, reported BBC Health. The researchers from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston also found that for individuals with blood group B the risk of heart disease increased by 11 per cent, and for blood type A, by 5 per cent.
However, blood group AB has been linked to inflammation, which plays an important role in artery damage. There is also evidence that blood group A is associated with higher levels of the ‘bad’ type of cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL), a waxy substance that can clog arteries.
While those with blood group O may benefit from increased levels of a chemical which helps blood flow and clotting. The findings are based on two large analytical studies - 62,073 women from the Nurses’ Health Study and 27,428 adults from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. They were between the ages of 30 and 75 and followed for 20 years.
Blood type is very complicated, so there could be multiple mechanisms at play. People cannot change their blood type. These findings may help physicians better understand who is at risk of developing heart diseases.If one knows he/she is at higher risk, they can reduce the risk by adopting a healthier lifestyle, such as eating right, exercising and not smoking.

Nobody can influence what type of blood they are born with but a healthy lifestyle is something everybody can have an influence over.
As this study group was predominantly Caucasian, the researchers say it is not clear if their findings would be reflected in other ethnic groups.
Healthy diet may prevent repeat heart attacks
A new study has demonstrated that healthy diets can have a powerful effect on lowering the risk of repeat heart attacks or stroke as well as preventing cardiovascular disease. Canadian researchers found that people with healthiest diets along with the consumption of their routine medicines were less threatened by a repeat heart attack or stroke, it was reported.
They confirmed the result after five-year study of 32,000 people in 40 different countries who were around the age of 55 or older and had a prior history of heart disease, stroke or suffered from Type 2 diabetes. According to the study, the patients with the highest intakes of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and fish were 35% less likely to die from a repeat heart attack or stroke during the study period, compared with those ones with the least healthy diets.
“The more healthy you eat, the healthier you are,” said the study author and a nutritionist Mahshid Dehqan from the Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. “At times, patients do not think they need to follow a healthy diet, since their medications have already lowered their blood pressure and cholesterol which is a wrong idea,” she emphasised.
The team researchers used two diet indexes to measure diet quality as they divided people into five groups according to the healthiest to least-healthy diet, Dr Dehqan explained. The participants were assessed based on their consuming amounts of dairy, meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, as well as consumption of fried foods and whole grains.
Other factors that can influence the progression of cardiovascular disease such as weight, exercise and smoking were also regarded in the study, Dehqan noted. Since the study has not examined the people who already have the disease, the impact of diet on this group is not clear yet, she said.
The team also analyzed the relation of diet quality and the risk for other cases, such as cancer, fractures and non-heart related hospitalisations but any associations have not been found.
You may damage knees if you’re an exercise freak, study
You may unwittingly damage your knees, if you are a middle-aged man or woman and tend to over- exercise, find a new study. According to BBC health, People with higher physical activity levels may be at greater risk for developing knee abnormalities and, thus, at higher risk for developing osteoarthritis(Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that causes pain, swelling and stiffness), said Christoph Stehling, a research fellow in radiology and biomedical imaging at the University of California, San Francisco.
Study involved 236 participants who had not reported previous knee pain and were enrolled in the National Institutes of Health Osteoarthritis Initiative. The participants comprised 136 women and 100 men, aged between 45 and 55 years, within a healthy weight range.
They were categorized as low, middle, and high-activity groups based on their responses to the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly. PASE is a standard test that scores an older individual’s physical activity level, based on the type of activity and the time spent doing it.
Several factors contribute to the final PASE score, but a person whose activity level is classified as high typically might engage in several hours of walking, sports or other types of exercise per week, as well as yard work and other household chores. Subsequent MRI analysis indicated a relationship between physical activity levels and frequency and severity of knee damage.