A new study has revealed a surprising link between blood type and the risk of having a stroke before the age of 60, pointing to type A as a potential red flag.
Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have uncovered a fascinating and slightly alarming link between blood type and the risk of early-onset strokes. We're talking strokes before the age of 60—when you're still juggling jobs, family WhatsApp groups, and your never-ending to-do list.
Published in the journal Neurology, the study is not some small-scale, quick-fire analysis. It’s a heavyweight meta-analysis of 48 separate genetic studies involving over 17,000 people who had strokes before the age of 60 and close to 600,000 stroke-free individuals as controls. The researchers looked specifically at ischaemic strokes, the kind that happen when blood flow to a part of the brain is blocked.
What they found was... eye-opening.
People with blood type A were 16% more likely to suffer an early stroke than those with other blood types. On the flip side, blood type O folks—the most common blood type—had a 12% lower risk of early stroke. Type B blood also appeared slightly more often in early and late stroke cases compared to the control group, though the results weren’t as dramatic.
Dr Steven J. Kittner, the study’s co-principal investigator and a professor of neurology at UMSOM, said what many of us have already been noticing: strokes in younger adults are on the rise. He said that these people are more likely to die from a life-threatening event, and survivors potentially face decades with disability. Despite the rising trend, the causes of early strokes remain under-researched—making this study a much-needed leap forward.
Why would your ABO blood type be tied to stroke risk?
Previous research suggests that blood type A may be linked to clotting factors or inflammation pathways that increase the risk of blocked arteries. It’s not so much about the letters themselves, but about what they signal inside your body—your hidden cardiovascular wiring, so to speak.
Lifestyle Still Reigns Supreme
The study doesn’t say you will have a stroke; it’s a relative risk increase. Lifestyle still reigns supreme when it comes to prevention. That means regular movement, a healthy diet, no smoking, and keeping tabs on your blood pressure, regardless of your blood type.
