Blood is blood, right? Well yes and no. Human blood is made from the same basic elements, but within that realm there are distinctions that respond to four different blood types (ABO and RH Systems, + and -).
What makes the four types of blood groups different are their antigens on the surface of red blood cells and consequently their immune responsiveness.
In 1930, a Japanese professor, Tokeji Furukawa, published an article claiming that individual blood types - A, B, AB, and O - reflected the personality of the person who possessed them. Since then, Japanese culture includes in the evaluation of personalities compatible with the characterization that they call "Ketsueki-gata". Something like the influence of horoscopes in western culture. But any scientific correlation between blood type and personality had not been proven until then.
That said, there is a lot of research detailing how blood types can reveal patterns of personal health - and that's fascinating on its own. Different blood types are thought to protect us from different diseases; Scientists have found links between blood types and disease since the mid-20th century. With that in mind, here is what science has to say about your blood type:
If you have type A blood
Type A has only one antigen on red cells and B antibodies in plasma; if you have type A blood, you can donate red blood cells to types A and AB. The composition of a person's antigens can determine how much of a certain hormone is released. For example, if you are type A, you will have more cortisol release and will be more prone to stress. There are a number of health risks associated with this blood type, such as a 20% greater chance of developing stomach cancer compared to types O and B, and a 5% increased risk for heart disease compared to those with type O. Also, if you have type A blood, you will also have an increased risk of several types of cancer, such as some forms of pancreatic cancer and leukemia; they are also more prone to smallpox infections and severe malaria. Ironically, those with type A are also less attractive to mosquitoes - rejoice!
According to Ketsueki-gata, if you have type A blood, you have some great characteristics. You are serious, creative, sensitive, reserved, patient and responsible (and you are also stubborn and tense).
If you have type B blood
If you have Type B blood, you only have the B antigens on the red cells and one antibody in the plasma; you can donate red blood cells for those with types B and AB blood. Those with type B have an 11% increased risk of heart disease versus those with type O. A Harvard University study found that women with AB or B blood have an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer, But if you have type B, it is not all bad news. Those with type B blood have up to 50,000 times the number of more beneficial bacteria strains than people with type O.
According to the Ketsueki-gata you can take pride in your passion, active nature, creativity and strength. On the other hand, you are also selfish, irresponsible, relentless and erratic.
If you have blood type AB
Those with AB blood have both A and B antigens on red cells, but neither A nor B as antibodies in plasma. If you have AB positive blood, you are a universal recipient. People with type AB have a 23% increased risk for heart disease over those with type O blood. Women with AB blood can suffer from pre-eclampsia twice as often in pregnancy. A great risk. Type AB is 82% more likely to have cognitive difficulties, specifically in areas such as memory, language and attention retrieval, than people with other blood types. Researchers suspect that the clotting protein known as clotting factor VIII is to blame for that matter. "Once factor VIII levels are closely linked to blood type, this can be a causal link between blood type and cognitive impairment," said study author Mary Cushman.
And, by the Ketsueki-gata, if you have blood type AB you are legal, controlled, rational, adaptable and… critical, indecisive, forgotten and irresponsible.
If you have type O blood
If you fall into blood group O, you have neither A nor B as antigens on your red blood cells, but antibodies to both A and B in your plasma. Type O positive blood is the most common blood type; Type O negative is the universal donor. People who have type O blood are more likely to get ulcers - and, believe it or not, to tear their Achilles tendons. The good news is that people with type O blood have a lower risk of developing pancreatic cancer and face a lower risk of dying from malaria than people with other blood types; and if you are type O, you are twice as likely to be repellent to mosquitoes as type A.
As Ketsueki-gata suggests, you will be more confident, self-determined, strong-tempered and intuitive, but also more self-centered, cold, unpredictable and potentially a workaholic.
So, it has things that science cannot yet explain, but that there is a correspondence, it exists, and then it is studied because the fact is that there are more unknown things on the face of the Earth than we know.
And you, do you know what your blood type is? And does your personality correspond to something that the Ketsueki-cat says?