New Blood Group Discovered

On October 4, 2022, Wired published an article relaying an important genetic discovery. The tragic loss of a child after birth turned out to be the result of a new blood group called ER. The ER blood type is extremely rare, but the mother had it and it proved incompatible with the blood of the child. As a result the mother's immune system began to attack the child leading to its death. Although this anomaly in blood was first discovered in 1982, it was not until recently that the scientific and medical communities have had the technology or knowledge to learn more about it. Even now, the blood type is so rare that these scientists are working with a very small sample of individuals. Despite these challenges, it was determined that the ER type is related to the protein Piezol which is on the surface of red blood cells. The proteins on the ER cells are slightly different due to a different combination of the amino acids coding for it. Because of this, normal cells (like the ones in the dead child) are foreign to ER cells. 

As incredible as this discovery is, it is just one of over thirty types of blood groups that have been discovered over the years. This research as a whole is so important. The more blood groups that are recognized, the more we can provide safe medical care and genetic advise to others. Knowledge of rare blood types is important for those pregnant or looking to become pregnant, those in need of blood transfusion or undergoing surgery, those often exposed to blood, and many more people in our societies. Scientist should continue researching the ER blood group and continue looking for other blood anomalies. This could provide life changing information to others.

The Relationship between Covid-19 and Bloodtypes

 

    It is no secret that we are in the midst of a global pandemic right now. The coronavirus is a family is of viruses that have been around for a long time, but the new one that started around this time last year in China, Covid-19 has taken over our world. Scientists and other researchers are still learning new things everyday about this novel virus, trying to better understand it, hoping to find cures, drugs, or other means to heal oneself if one were to get it. We already see a few types of therapeutics that may have a positive effect on the virus, but nothing for sure.

    One type of study that has been done has been the connection with blood type and Covid-19. One study has been done, and concluded that people with ABO blood types are at higher risk to contract this disease. This opens the door for more types of research involving blood type in coronavirus. The genetics of the virus and genetics of the ABO gene can be used to find a link between the two. People with O type blood are found to have less of a chance of getting the virus, studies also show.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-19623-x

https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/blood-type-covid-19-risk

What Does Your Blood Type Mean?

Hopefully we all know our blood type, I’m O negative, this is very important information if you're ever in need of a blood transfusion. But what does your blood type even mean? We generally associate blood types with three different letters A, B, O, and by four main categories, A, B, AB, O. An individual with type A blood has A antigens on the surface of their red blood cells. Their plasma contains anti-B antibodies, which would attack any B antigens attempting to enter the type A blood person. This means if someone who possesses type A blood receives type B blood during a procedure, the body would reject the blood transfusion. If you have type B blood your red blood cell surface contains B antigens and would not receive type A antigens. If someone, like myself, has type O blood, we have O antigens on our white blood cells and we have antibodies that would attack both A and B antigens. People with type O blood are considered “universal doners”. We can donate to anyone, A, B, AB and O. However individuals with type O blood can only receive type O blood. People with type AB, on the other hand, are universal receivers, they can receive A, B, AB, and O blood types. O positive is the most frequently occuring blood type and is in high demand for that reason. O negative is in the highest demand since it is universal as anyone can receive O negative blood, yet it is one of the most rare blood types.

https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/blood-types.html

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/218285#risks

Do Your Genes Play a Role in How COVID19 Affects You?

 

The COVID19 pandemic has been the talk of the year as it has been viciously infecting many people around the world and for some ending in fatality. It is known that underlying conditions such as respiratory issues or old age make patients more susceptible to the virus, but could a person's genetics also be a factor in how the coronavirus affects them? A recent study found that DNA alterations, variants, in a complex of genes on chromosome three affect proteins called chemokines. The chemokines work with the immune system and attract immune cells to tissues being attacked by the COVID19 virus. But with this variant and the coronavirus, the cells attack the lungs. The study found a key variant that was 1.5 times more common in patients who needed a ventilator. Blood type can also have an affect on COVID19. It was found that patients with genes for blood type A were more susceptible to respiratory failure. Patients with O type blood have lessened chances of respiratory failure with the virus.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/genes-may-influence-covid-19-risk-new-studies-hint/

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2020283

Blood Type Diet Debunked

In the late 90's, Dr. D'Adamo came out with the book "Eat Right 4 Your Type", in which he writes about what each person should be eating, based on their blood type. Although this diet was created quite some time ago, people have been following it religiously, and blindly. It sounds super sciency, right; eating a diet strictly based off of your blood type? Well, it turns out that there is almost no science behind it at all, at least not any accurate science. The book gives a list of foods for each of the 4 blood types, consisting of what each one should eat, shouldn't ever eat, and what's basically neutral. Unfortunately, all of the "science" Dr. D'Adamo used to support these lists was complete nonsense. However, that didn't stop all of the celebrities, naive teenagers, and desperately overweight people from buying into it and swearing to the diet.

The problem was that it was a really cool idea, thinking that you could follow a perfect diet by doing exactly what the book said because, it matches your genetic makeup, right? Well, it's all null and void as soon as you research any of his "facts" and realize that it's almost all wrong. All he did was pick a very low carb, low fat, vegetarian diet for the most common blood type (Type O) and of course, by following it, a heck of a lot of people lost weight. But that had nothing to do with their blood type, it just had to do with the fact that that's the healthiest kind of diet you can eat! So of course most people saw results because they were simply eating healthier! People like Dr. D'Adamo take advantage of those who are desperate and too lazy to educate themselves because they are just waiting for a miracle to happen, and it's a little bit of both parties faults. So this is a good lesson to remember to not believe everything you read, even if it did come from a doctor; and to always do your own research!

http://www.refinery29.com/2016/07/116159/blood-type-diet-myths
https://nutrino.co/blood-type-diet-debunked/