Interestingly, research now suggests that blood type may also play a role in determining one’s risk of stomach cancer.

A recent study reported by Daily Mail indicates that individuals with blood types A, B, or AB may be significantly more susceptible to certain forms of cancer.

Involving 50,000 participants from Iran, the study found that those with A, B, or AB blood types—which account for about half of the UK population—faced a 55 percent greater chance of developing stomach cancer compared to those with type O blood.

Further findings revealed that people with the AB blood type had a 45 percent higher likelihood of being diagnosed with liver cancer. The same research also suggested that individuals with O or AB blood types may be at a reduced risk for pancreatic cancer.

In the UK, O positive is the most commonly occurring blood type, while AB negative is the rarest, representing only about 1% of the population.

Though the link between blood type and cancer risk is becoming clearer, scientists are still working to understand exactly how and why certain blood types might influence the development of specific cancers.