Blood Group B Linked to Higher Diabetes Risk
A review in BMC Medicine found people with blood group B face a 28 percent higher relative risk of type 2 diabetes, the only blood-group link among 270 reviewed to meet top evidence standards.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Diabetes
A review published in BMC Medicine examined 51 systematic reviews covering 270 associations between ABO and Rhesus blood groups and health outcomes. Blood group B was the only association to reach the highest evidence standard, showing a 28 percent higher relative risk of type 2 diabetes.
Why it matters
The finding adds a fixed, inherited factor to the list of diabetes risk markers, alongside established drivers such as excess body weight, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet. Researchers must still determine whether blood group information can meaningfully improve diabetes risk assessment.
The review covered 270 reported blood group associations, and only the link between blood group B and type 2 diabetes met the highest evidence standard. The 28 percent figure is a relative rather than absolute increase in risk, and the underlying biological mechanism remains unexplained.
The players
Fang-Hua Liu
Epidemiologist at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University who led the review of blood group associations with health outcomes.
BMC Medicine
Peer-reviewed open-access medical journal published by BioMed Central that carried the review.
The details
Lead researcher Fang-Hua Liu of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University and colleagues searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and the Cochrane Library for studies published up to February 16, 2024. The blood group B association held for both Rhesus-positive and Rhesus-negative blood, though most other reported associations failed to meet evidence standards.
Timeline
February 16, 2024: Literature search cutoff for included studies.
November 3, 2026: Article reporting the BMC Medicine review published.
Health Landscape
The review applies the evidence-grading approach of the Cochrane Library to a large body of ABO and Rhesus research, separating the single well-supported association from the many weaker reported links. This filtering approach shows that most blood-group health claims in the literature do not hold up under strict evidence standards.
Blood group is fixed and cannot be changed, so it cannot be modified as a prevention target. Established lifestyle factors such as body weight, physical activity and diet remain the practical levers for lowering type 2 diabetes risk.
The takeaway
A fixed trait like blood group can raise diabetes risk, but it does not replace the proven benefits of staying active, managing weight and eating well. Use these established habits as your main defense against type 2 diabetes.
Further reading
Explore more on Diabetes to see how inherited and lifestyle factors shape type 2 risk.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Tribune Online.
