What if blood type had an impact on cognitive decline? This is what researchers have just proven in a new study published in Brain Research Bulletin.
Our blood type and our brain are much more linked than we think. After analyzing the brain scans of nearly 200 healthy adult volunteers, researchers from the University of Sheffield focused on the volume of gray matter, this substance in the brain which contains our neurons and which naturally diminishes with age. By crossing this anatomical data with the biological profiles of the participants, a completely surprising medical link appeared: our blood group plays a direct role on the architecture of our nervous system and our cognitive health.
The study published in the journal Brain Research Bulletin reveals that people with blood type O have a biologically “younger” brain compared to other blood groups. These people would have a significantly greater volume of gray matter, particularly in the cerebellum, a key area for coordination and cognitive functions. Concretely, this greater reserve of neurons would offer better resistance to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative pathologies such as Alzheimer’s. Conversely, people in groups A, B and AB would present a more marked reduction of this gray matter in sensitive regions such as the hippocampus, one of the first areas affected by age-related cognitive decline. In France, 42% of the population is group O, or 29 million people.
How can we explain such biological privilege? Scientists put forward a mainly cardiovascular hypothesis. The blood of people with group O is naturally thinner and has a lower risk of forming micro-clots. This better blood circulation allows optimal and continuous irrigation of brain tissues throughout life.
Despite everything, groups A, B and AB can rest assured: blood type is only one piece of the puzzle. A healthy lifestyle and regular intellectual stimulation remain the best tools to keep a sharp mind, whatever our blood. Aging is thus an inevitable process, but we are not all equal when it comes to the effects of time. Of course, moving regularly, eating a balanced diet and sleeping well are three pillars known to preserve our body and our brain. But now, science is interested in much deeper genetic factors.
