Does Blood Type Matter?
The Subconscious Fat of Blood Type
If one loses a lot of blood, blood type becomes extremely important. If given the wrong blood type, you can die. If assigned the correct blood type, you will live.
“It doesn’t leave much room for error,” comments Mr. Skeptical.
“No, it doesn’t.”
Subconscious Fat at 30,000 feet
Blood type refers to the different proteins found outside a blood cell membrane. These proteins (also called antigens) transmit messages to white blood cells, which protect against infection. If given the wrong blood type, the human body will see it as an invader and attack those new blood cells.
Mr. Skeptical’s face pouts. “So, in other words, human blood is racist.”
“I never thought of it that way, but one could argue yes. If you’re blood type O and receive blood type A, your body will attack that blood. The blood type O will “see” the A-antigen on the cell membrane, view it as a foreign invader, and attack it.”
“This sounds like the US back in the 1950’s. A black man walks into a small southern town at night (where and when it was illegal to do so) and gets attacked by whites.”
“Yes, the analogy works. After the O’s body destroys the A blood cells, they release toxic chemicals.”
“This attack happens even though one may need more blood?”
“Yep. The toxic chemicals will create symptoms like anxiety, nausea, jaundice, muscle aches, and fever. If the mistake is not corrected quickly, it can result in death.”
“So, we all have racist blood?”
I shrug my shoulders. Leave it to Mr. Skeptical to come up with some silly yet maybe insightful ideas. “It would be better to be racist on blood type than skin color. Skin color is simply based on human adaptation to sunlight, while blood types really shouldn’t be mixed.”
Subconscious Fat at 10,000 feet
There’s information on the internet claiming that in Japan, some people are racist based on blood type. The term ‘blood harassment’ exists there, describing how people can be discriminated against for their blood type.
“Wow. Is there any scientific evidence that blood type can portray a human’s personality?”
“No. Yet many Japanese video games show blood type for their player’s avatars. See the chart below.”
Mr. Skeptical adds, “Okay, but it reminds me of zodiac signs in the US. It’s fun to talk about, but it’s all likely bullshit.”
“I agree the comparisons to zodiac signs are legit. Blood-type personalities became popular in Japan in the 1970s. One source said men used it to converse with women to get laid. Men in the US do the same thing. My son had a friend who had a lot of success on Tinder, and he said to show your Zodiac sign because it’ll help.”
Mr. Skeptical folds his arms, and his eyes narrow in on me. “Did you simply overhear that? I’d bet you were listening in for tips to use yourself.”
My fists clench my jaw tenses. I hate Mr. Skeptical he’s such an asshole!
Subconscious Fat at Eye-Level
Moving on, it’s time to talk about real science.
Let’s discuss some facts about blood types and diseases. Many may have heard during the COVID-19 pandemic about blood types having different outcomes. It’s true. Blood type O’s fared better, getting infected less and having fewer symptoms.
On the other hand, blood type A’s had an increased risk of getting Covid and worse symptoms.
“Hmmmm, intriguing. Any reasons as to why?”
“There are only theories about why. And it’s important to note that this was a minor difference, not a huge one. Other factors like age and overall immunity played a more significant role.
“However, we can see the differences more clearly regarding other diseases. Take malaria, for example—blood type O fairs better with malaria getting less severe symptoms. In malaria, infected blood cells attach to form rosettes. The theory is that the A and B antigens on the cells help the cells form rosettes. These rosettes can clump together and block blood flow in the brain or other important areas, creating severe symptoms or death. The rosettes take longer for the body to wash out. So, humans with A or B blood fair worse with malaria.”
“So blood type O is superior blood?”
My eyes narrow in on Mr. Skeptical. “You sound racist by simply asking that question.”
“Why?”
“Because nature doesn’t work that way. Evolution changes organic matter to adapt to its environment, not create a superior being.”
“But if blood type O can survive malaria better, it’s superior.”
“No, because there are drawbacks to blood type O. For example, Cholera. Back in the early 90’s, there was a massive cholera outbreak in Peru. Blood type O humans were eight times more likely to be hospitalized. One theory is that having the A or B antigen prevents the cholera toxin from binding well to it.
“The word superior shouldn’t be used in science, for it allows ideas of a superior race and consequently racism. Evolution and nature create advantages and disadvantages to survivability, not a superior race.”
Mr. Skeptical’s eyes roll, but he stays quiet. I love putting him in his place.
Practical Suggestions and Conclusions
Yet, Mr. Skeptical doesn’t stay quiet for long. He asks, “Could it be that before we knew about blood types, bloodletting was so popular because, more often than not, a blood transfusion would be fatal.”
“You bring up an interesting thought experiment. Bloodletting goes back to ancient Egyptian times and was used by Socrates and Galen–a famous Roman physician in the 2nd century AD. It seems plausible that humans thought bloodletting was best because if they tried a transfusion, the person would often die. Bloodletting was Subconscious Fat for a long time in human history, causing the death of the first US president. I’ve written more on that here.
“We’ve covered the extreme ranges of truth and bullshit with blood type. Most people can conclude and agree that correct blood transfusions with the right blood type can save a life. Yet, blood type personality traits are all hype. However, certain diseases will fare better or worse depending on blood type.”
“I think I know where you’re going with this.”
“How can blood type affect us here and now? In other words, is there something to eat right for your blood type?”
“That’s where I thought you were going with this.”
“Yes, it is. However, I need to do more research on that topic, and we’ve covered a lot today, so I’ll write about blood type eating in a future post. For now, this post has revealed some of the Subconscious Fat with blood types, making readers more aware.”
PS Full disclosure: Chat GPT was used to research and enhance this post.
PSS Another Substack Post I really liked this week here.