New research suggests that your specific blood type can influence memory loss years down the road.

According to a new study published in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, those with blood type AB are more likely to develop some level of memory loss years later compared to those with other blood types.

Only about four percent of the population in the U.S. has blood type AB, making it the least common type. The study discovered that those with this blood type were 82 percent more likely to suffer memory and cognitive problems later in life, compared to people with other blood types.

Other studies have shown that those with blood type O were least likely to develop heart disease, which is a factor linked to dementia and memory loss.

Study author Mary Cushman, MD, MSc, of the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington, and colleagues analyzed over 30,000 people, and followed them for about 3.4 years. Among the participants who had no memory problems at the beginning of the study, 495 of them developed cognitive impairment or thinking problems throughout the duration of the study. These participants were then compared to 587 people who displayed no cognitive problems.

The study’s researchers found that those with blood type AB made up six percent of the people who developed memory loss.

“Our study looks at blood type and risk of cognitive impairment, but several studies have shown that factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes increase the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. Blood type is also related to other vascular conditions like stroke, so the findings highlight the connections between vascular issues and brain health. More research is needed to confirm these results,” said Cushman in a statement.