Inside Health Weekly

Your love life might get messy, but blood? Never lies.

If you are the type to spend hours overthinking if they are “the one,” you’ve been looking at the wrong traits. Compatibility was never about zodiac signs; in biology, it’s always been about blood.

Think about it: Can your friends name every crush’s zodiac sign, but not their blood type? 🚩 

Let’s break down the science of the liquid that’s kept you alive since day one…. and unlike your ex, actually knows how to commit.

Your Next Relationship?

Love is in the air… and in your veins. Some types just click, others are total red flags. Here is the chemistry behind your literal compatibility.

• Type O: Gives to everyone, but only loves another O. Total selfless romantic.

• Type A: The hopeless Romantic. All about emotional stability, will only accept O and A.

• Type B: The Heartbreaker. A little unpredictable, only accepts from O or B.

• Type AB: The Universal Lover. Takes love from everyone, only gives it back to one.

Unpacking the Science:

Blood can be scary. But what’s scarier is you not understanding what’s inside your blood, keeping you alive and healthy.

What’s your type?

Just like you, your blood has a type. Types get complicated. But let’s break it down, so it’s not as frightening as seeing your ex on Halloween.

Whether or not your body can receive a certain type of blood depends on your blood’s type (A, B, AB, and O). Each type is further distinguished by a protein called the Rh factor. Either our blood has this protein (Type A+) or doesn’t (Type A-).

That means in total, there are 8 blood types: A+, A-, B+, B-, O+, O-, AB+, AB-. Whew!

So… why can’t I receive any type?

First, you must know that our blood types are named based on something called antigens. These are markers on our red blood cells, and they are essential so that our bodies don’t mistake them as foreign outsiders.

What causes our blood to be picky then? 

The antibodies— these are proteins in the plasma that recognize anything as foreign in our bodies. From then on, they attack these foreigners, which is how our bodies stay healthy.

• Type A contains anti-B antigens.

• Type B contains anti-A antigens.

• Type AB contains anti-A & B antigens.

• Type O contains neither, which is why it is the universal donor.

This means that the right blood transfusions can mean life or death— if a Type A recipient receives Type B blood:

1. Type A’s anti-B antibodies recognize Type B’s antigens as foreign.

2. The Type A immune system attacks the foreign blood cells.

3. This leads to blood vessel blockage, organ damage, and even death.

Fast Facts of the Week:

- Every 2 seconds, someone in the US needs a blood transfusion.

- A single blood donation can save up to 3 lives, but the human body also produces 2 million red blood cells every second.

- It only takes 20-60 seconds for a drop of blood to travel from the heart through the body and back.

Source: https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/give/give-blood

Trending Today:

LET’S TALK STOCK:
Third-quarter earnings are out… and in the business world, this is basically the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show of healthcare finance.

You probably know Johnson & Johnson (NASDAQ: JNJ) from their shampoo bottles, but their real power lies in the drug manufacturing industry, and it’s massive. With a market cap (a measure of a company’s total value by multiplying its current stock price by the total number of shares) of $464.8 billion, this is definitely one to watch.

Here’s why: 👇

• Solid Quarter 3 performance. Find the number breakdown on our IG platform, stats posted today!

• Strategic spin-off. JNJ just announced its orthopedics business will move into a separate, publicly traded company in the next 18-24 months, exciting!

• 2025 General Raise: Company increased its full-year revenue forecast to a new range from 93.5B to 93.9B, a very positive outlook…

🚨 BIG NEWS FROM INSIDE HEALTH 🚨

Next week marks a major moment for Inside Health, and for the global conversation around how we understand health.

• HLTH Conference – Oct. 19-22

  • Inside Health has been accepted to cover the latest innovations, exclusive interviews, and key insights from one of the biggest global events in healthcare and technology.

  • Stay tuned for exclusive insights throughout the week! 🎉🎉🎉

• Health Literacy Day – Oct. 23

  • Founder Cordelia de la Fuente will be speaking for the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) as a debut keynote speaker on the power of digital tools to advance health literacy.

  • Sign up to attend Cordelia’s talk soon! Registration to attend will go live this week!

• Applications Open: Become a Contributing Author

  • Find our Application form on the website for the next steps!

• Applications Open: Become a Marketing Intern

  • 📩 Contact now at [email protected] to learn more.

That’s everything for now! Thanks for hanging out with Inside Health this week. Understanding how you function starts with education, and you’re already doing the work just by being here.

Until Next Time! —The Inside Health Team.