Blood Type Affects Brain Health
Researchers at the University of Sheffield, together with colleagues from the San Camillo Clinic in Venice, have found that belonging to a particular blood group plays a role in the development of the nervous system and may underlie an increased risk of cognitive decline.
The authors analyzed the results of magnetic resonance imaging of the brain of 189 healthy volunteers, in which they calculated the volume of gray matter in the brain and studied the relationship between the value of this indicator and the blood groups of participants. The resulting data suggest that people with "0" (I) blood type have more gray matter in the posterior part of the cerebellum. Compared to them, people with blood groups "A" (II), "B" (III) and "AB" (IV) have less gray matter in the temporal and limbic lobes of the hemispheres, including in the left part of the hippocampus, among the first to suffer from Alzheimer's disease.
The results of this work confirm the results of an earlier study, the authors of which found that the owners of blood group IV are 82% more likely to develop problems with memory and thinking than people with other groups.
A decrease in the volume of gray matter in the brain is a component of the normal aging process. In the later stages of life, this can exacerbate the differences observed depending on the blood type. Based on this, it can be assumed that people with blood type I are more protected from the development of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by a decrease in the volume of the temporal and medial temporal lobes of the brain, such as Alzheimer's disease.
At the same time, the authors note that other biological mechanisms may be involved in the described processes, therefore, further research is necessary before obtaining final conclusions.
The article by Matteo De Marcoa, Annalena Venneri ‘O’ blood type is associated with larger grey-matter volumes in the cerebellum is published in the journal The Brain Research Bulletin.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of The University of Sheffield:
It’s in your blood: Links found between blood type and risk of cognitive decline.
10.06.2015