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A person with blood type O negative can help individuals with other types of blood in emergency situations. It has universal blood cells which can be transfused to almost all patients who are in need. About 6.6% of the world population has people with O negative blood.
Emergency vehicles and helicopters always carry O negative blood since there is no time to ask questions from the patient. It doesn’t contain the Rh factor nor has A and B markers.
This article highlights the pros and cons of having O negative blood type.
Pros:** **
**1. Strong immune system: **People with blood group O negative have a strong immune system and are thinnest of all other blood types. O blood type individuals live the longest of all other blood types.
**2. Safe for new infants: **The red blood cells in O negative blood are safest for transfusion to new infants with an under-developed immune system.
3. Universal donor: O negative blood type can donate blood to all other blood types making it a universal donor.** **It gives a chance to live to all accident victims and transfusion to all patients in need of blood.
**4. Personality traits: **O negative people tend to be competent, loyal, self-confident, and above all very passionate. They are associated with leadership qualities and are highly innovative.
**5. Not rare: O negative is not a rare blood type as perceived. In fact, in some countries like the US, A negative, B negative, AB negative, and AB positive are rarer than the O negative. **
**6. O negative inheritance: There is no antigen A or B in O genes (alleles) and their mostly referred to as silent alleles. Blood group O has neither A nor B antigens in the red blood cells but have A and B antibody in the plasma. This makes it possible for Parents with different blood groups to have an O blood child. E.g., the Parental blood of A and A can have a child with O or A blood. **
**7. No Rh factor: O negative blood type has an Rh-negative factor which is an additional marker in the blood. **
**8. Healthy eating: Type O negative people who eat the right diet based on blood type and the healthiest and can have a strong digestive track with a diet with lean proteins and less wheat. **
Cons:
**1. Rh Incompatibility: An Rh-negative pregnant woman with an Rh-positive fetus may experience Rh incompatibility if proper measures are not taken. You also need Rhogam shots during pregnancy to avoid complications in your second pregnancy. **
2. Relatively uncommon: Although it is a universal donor, if you’re O negative you can only receive a donor with O negative blood. It is only present to every 1 out of 15 people.
3. Shortage: Increased use of O negative leads to a shortage of blood supply compared to other types of blood.
**4. Strongest stomach acids: O-negative individuals have higher levels of stomach acids and are exposed to medical conditions like ulcers. **
**5. Imbalance in immunity: **O negative blood group individuals face inflammation from foods such as dairy products and wheat. This triggers an imbalance in immunity and weight gain.
**6. No antigens: **An individual with blood group O negative doesn’t have the three antigens (A, B, Rh) and due to the absence of these antigens, any other blood group introduced to O negative patients will result in an immune attack against the foreign antigen.
**7. Thyroid disease: Type O negative blood has a high risk of thyroid disease which is due to the overactive immune system. **