Can Your Blood Type Affect Your Chances of Living to 100?
Researchers have investigated whether blood type is linked to exceptional longevity, but the findings have been inconsistent. One Japanese study of 269 centenarians found that type B was somewhat more common among people who lived past 100, but other studies have not confirmed this association.
What Larger Research Shows
A much larger study involving 2,201 Chinese centenarians and 2,330 middle-aged controls found no statistically significant association between blood types A, B, O, or AB and longevity. The researchers concluded that ABO blood type was not associated with living to 100 in that population.
Research has found that blood type can be associated with differences in the risk of certain diseases, including cardiovascular and clotting-related conditions. However, these associations do not mean that a particular blood type determines how long someone will live.
What Matters More for Healthy Aging?
Longevity is influenced by many factors, including genetics, cardiovascular health, physical activity, nutrition, sleep, smoking, alcohol exposure, medical conditions, and access to healthcare.
Your blood type is something you inherit and cannot change, so it should not be viewed as a way to predict your personal lifespan.
Bottom line: Some studies have reported possible links between particular blood types and exceptional longevity, but the overall evidence remains inconsistent. There is currently no blood type that can reliably be called the “blood type of people who live to 100.”
