Does One Blood Type Make You More Likely to Live to 100?
You may have seen claims that people with a particular blood type are more likely to reach 100. Research has explored this question, but the evidence does not establish one blood type as a reliable predictor of living to 100.
Where Did the Claim Come From?
One Japanese study compared 269 people who had reached 100 with more than 7,000 controls. It found that blood type B was somewhat more common among the centenarians. The researchers suggested that B might be associated with exceptional longevity, but they also said that the underlying mechanism needed further investigation.
That finding does not mean that people with type B blood are destined to live longer.
Larger Research Found a Different Picture
A much larger Chinese study examined 2,201 centenarians and 2,330 middle-aged controls. Researchers found no statistically significant differences in the frequencies of blood types A, B, O, or AB between the groups. Their analysis concluded that ABO blood groups were not associated with longevity.
Another study of centenarians in Western Sicily also found no significant differences in ABO blood-group distribution between centenarians and the comparison group.
More recent research involving people aged 85 and older likewise found no significant difference in ABO blood-group frequencies between the older group and younger controls.
Why Blood Type Can Still Matter to Health
Blood type is not completely unrelated to health. Large population research has found associations between ABO blood groups and several diseases, particularly cardiovascular and blood-clotting outcomes. However, these associations are different from proving that a blood type determines how long someone will live.
A recent review also concluded that relationships between ABO blood groups and longevity have been inconsistent across populations and that blood type is unlikely to be an independent marker of aging.
What Actually Matters for Healthy Aging?
Longevity is influenced by many factors, including genetics, overall health, physical activity, nutrition, sleep, smoking, alcohol exposure, access to healthcare, environment, and social circumstances.
Your blood type is only one biological characteristic, and it cannot tell you how long you will live.
The Bottom Line
Some studies have reported associations between certain blood types and longevity, but the evidence is inconsistent. Large studies have found no clear association between ABO blood type and reaching 100.
So rather than treating a blood type as a “longevity type,” it is more accurate to view blood group as one of many biological factors that researchers continue to study.
