With several victims of accidents and various ailments requiring blood transfusions, a majority have been found to be unaware of their blood group.
This is so until at the critical point where a transfusion is necessary.
In an exclusive interview on Saturday, Kenya Red Cross, Kiambu coordinator, Stephen Ng’ang’a said that apart from knowing your blood group for transfusion purposes, the knowledge has other advantages when seeking healthcare.
He says that an individual's blood group type determines several things including how your body reacts to food opining that some people may be more capable of losing weight more than others because of their blood type.
Ng'ang'a revealed that one's blood type may inherently raise their heart disease risk. He said that people with blood type O have a lower risk of running a heart attack but have a high risk of developing stomach ulcers.
He added that different people react differently to stress depending on their blood group due to a hormone in the blood called cortisol. He said that blood type A people are known to have high levels of the hormone which is usually produced in high amounts when they are in stressful situations.
“Understanding this can play a key role in mindfully managing your lifestyle, eating habits, controlling stress, by finding out what foods you should eat, finding out what calms you down as too much stress is as negative as any disease in your body," he said.
The Kenya Red Cross officer revealed that all blood groups have different gut bacteria exposure saying that people with blood type AB, for instance, are likely to get allergies and Candida (yeast infection) compared to other blood types.
Pauline Njoroge, whose blood type is AB says that knowing her blood type has enabled her in avoiding candida and other yeast infections by exercising good hygiene and buying preventive drugs.
“I would like to advise other people to know their blood group so they learn to live according to the changes exhibited by their various blood groups since some are not aware that they contribute to certain health conditions," she said.