How high the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) is also depends on the blood group. Lu Qi, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA, and colleagues investigated the associations between ABO blood group and CHD risk in prospective cohort studies including 90 000 participants.
Participants with the blood group AB were more likely to develop CHD, those with the blood type O have 23 %, with A 5% and B 11% lower risk of developing CHD.

The researchers think that the blood group influences the cholesterol level (LDL cholesterol) and the sensitivity towards inflammation.

• ABO Blood Group and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Two Prospective Cohort Studies,
  Meian He, Brian Wolpin, Kathy Rexrode, JoAnn E. Manson, Eric Rimm, Frank B. Hu, Lu Qi
  Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2012.
  DOI: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.112.248757