O Positive Blood

Blood forms 7-8% of the body weight and comprises different components: red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), platelets and plasma. The RBCs make up 40-50% of total blood volume, whereas the WBCs make up only 1% of the blood volume. Blood platelets are the cells, releasing blood clotting chemicals in the bloodstream, so as to repair wounds. Blood plasma forms 55% of the blood's volume. It is a clear liquid comprising 92% water, protein, fat, sugar, enzymes, antibodies, hormones, blood clotting factors and salt components which carry RBCs, WBCs, platelets and some other chemicals.

Blood Group Types

The RBCs present in the blood features proteins called antigens on their surface. These antigens are either proteins or sugars and adhere themselves to various components in the RBC membrane. There are different types of RBC antigens, however, the most important types are the ABO and rhesus types. Depending on the antigen on the RBC, the blood group type is determined and identified. The different blood groups are: A, B, AB or O. AB negative and B negative are the rare blood types, however, the O positive blood is a common type of blood group.

Blood Group A: People with A blood group have type A antigens adhering to the surface of the RBC with anti-B antibodies present in the plasma.

Blood Group B: People with B blood group have type A antigens adhering to the surface of the RBC with anti-A antibodies present in the plasma.

AB Blood Group: People with AB blood group have both type A and type B antigens adhering to the surface of the RBC. Moreover, they do not have any antibodies (anti-A and anti-B) in the plasma.

O Blood Group: These people do not possess type A or type B antigens adhering to the surface of the RBC. However, they do have anti-A and anti-B antibodies in plasma.

The liquid part of the blood, that is the plasma contains certain antibodies that will attack specific antigens if present. Thus, people with A, B, or O blood group will have antibodies that destroy some of the other blood groups. Which means that people with A blood group cannot receive blood from a person with B blood group, and vice versa. People with blood group O will have antibodies fighting A and B blood groups. However, people with AB blood group do not produce any antibodies for any of the other blood groups. By the time a baby has attained the age of 6 months, his or her body would have naturally developed antibodies to attack the antigens his or her RBCs lack.

As far as understanding the rhesus types are concerned, one's Rh status will be listed as positive (+) or negative (-). If one has Rh negative blood, then the body forms antibodies against Rh positive blood to destroy it. This coming in contact with the opposite rhesus factor occurs either during a blood transfusion or while carrying a fetus with Rh positive rhesus factor. A person inherits the blood group type from his or her parents. The different combination of blood groups are A positive, A negative, B positive, B negative, AB positive, AB negative and O positive, O negative. These combination are possible due to the antigen-antibody compatibility issues.

Facts about O Positive Blood Type

As learned above, O blood group has an important characteristic: it lacks antigen A or B. However, their blood serum comprises IgM anti-A antibodies and anti-B antibodies against the A and B blood group antigens. Thus, people with O blood group can receive blood from any O individual, but cannot receive blood from any of the A, B or AB group. Depending on the Rhesus factor, O positive blood group is again categorized as O positive blood and O negative blood.

O positive blood is known as the universal donor, which means it can be given to people with other positive blood types such as A positive, B positive or AB positive blood groups. However, O positive blood people can receive blood from only O positive or O negative people. O negative people can receive blood from only O negative people. Transfusion of other blood types into the body will result in blood clotting of the patient. O negative blood can be given to anybody during dire situations wherein there is no time to identify the blood group type. Cancer, surgery, blood disorders, trauma, etc are times when blood transfusions are commonly required.

As per the information provided by the American Red Cross, O positive blood is the commonest type of blood group found in 38% of the US population. This blood group is commonly seen in Hispanic people, wherein 53% of the people have O positive blood. On the other hand, O negative blood is seen only in 7% of the total population.

Since the parent's blood groups determine the fetus' blood group, the University of Utah's Genetic Science Learning Center states that parents with type O blood will have children with type O blood as well. O blood type is the most common one, thus O positive donors are more frequently needed as compared to the other types.

It is believed that blood types determine personal tastes, eating habits, allergies, body metabolism and medical conditions. O positive individuals are believed to digest animal proteins easily, due to their high stomach acid content. Moreover, they are believed to not be able to digest grains and dairy products well. Thus, an O positive type diet comprises high protein and low carbohydrate food items.