ABO blood groups were not associated with measures of vascular structure and function in young, healthy adults, but non-O blood groups were associated with higher vWF levels and altered glucose metabolism, suggesting that circulating cardiometabolic risk markers vary by blood group early in life.
No statistically significant differences in pulse-wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index (AIx), or carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) were found across ABO blood groups in young, healthy adults.
Individuals with blood group O had lower plasma von Willebrand factor (vWF) concentrations than all non-O carriers.
Blood group O carriers had significantly lower fasting plasma glucose than non-O carriers.
Blood group O carriers showed a trend toward lower fasting serum insulin that did not reach conventional statistical significance.
Serum cardiovascular-related biomarkers showed distinct profiles by blood group even though vascular measures did not differ.
This study looked at whether ABO blood type is linked to the health of blood vessels in young, healthy adults aged 18-26. In older people, blood group O is known to carry a lower risk of heart disease and blood clots. The researchers measured artery stiffness (pulse-wave velocity and augmentation index) and the thickness of the carotid artery wall, along with a range of blood markers. They found no differences in artery stiffness or wall thickness between blood groups. However, people with blood group O had lower levels of von Willebrand factor, a protein involved in blood clotting (0.84 vs. 1.09 kIE/L in non-O groups). They also had slightly lower fasting blood glucose (4.96 vs. 5.02 mmol/L), and a possible but not statistically significant trend toward lower fasting insulin. This research suggests that blood-group-related differences in clotting and metabolic markers may be present early in life, before any differences show up in blood vessel structure or function. The glucose difference was very small, and the study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show whether these early differences lead to later disease risk.
Stefansson K, Chahal G, Hultdin J, Nilsson T, Pettersson-Pablo P. (2026). ABO blood groups in relation to biomarkers of vascular structure and function in young, healthy adults - the LBA study.. BMC cardiovascular disorders. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-026-06924-0