Understanding The Blood Type Diet And Its Benefits

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For decades, people have tried to hack nutrition to figure out that “perfect” diet for their bodies. Countless fad diets have had their moment in the spotlight. One such diet was (and still is) the blood type diet. After naturopathic physician Dr. Peter D’Adamo released his book Eat Right 4 Your Type in 1996, thousands of testimonies came out from followers of the blood type diet, stating that it had changed their lives.

Everyone— and every body— is different, so there’s something clearly appealing about a diet that tailors to your specific, nuanced genetic makeup. And if you’ve struggled with your weight or health issues and found no results from other diets, finding a deeper cause for those challenges can be almost psychologically relieving. Maybe it’s not you – maybe it’s your blood type. But, is there any validity to this diet? It remains popular to this day. Any time you’re considering upending the way you eat, it’s important to know the real science (if any) behind a fad diet. Here’s a look at the way the blood type diet works and its reported benefits.

What Is The Idea Behind The Blood Type Diet?

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In his book, Dr. D’Adamo’s discusses the idea that your blood type reveals genetic traits of your ancestors, and those are indicators of the kinds of foods their bodies responded to best. Essentially, it states that every blood type, over time, has developed antibodies that respond differently (positively, negatively or neutrally) to certain foods. In some individuals, their antibodies attack certain foods, seeing them as “foreign,” while responding well to others. As a response to an antibody attack, a person might experience issues like bloating, weight gain, diarrhea, stomach pains and a slew of other issues.

As far as diet goes, the antibodies of interest are called lectins. They’re released through food and bind sugar molecules together. Different dietary lectins impact each blood type in specific ways. According to the blood type diet, introducing the wrong dietary lectins for your blood type can cause your blood cells to clump together and increase risk of health concerns.

One can see how Dr. D’Adamo was turned onto this concept, because there has been evidence that different blood types are prone to different health issues. For example, research published in The BJM shows that people with type O blood are at a higher risk for stomach ulcers.

What Does The Diet Look Like?

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Now we know the idea behind the blood type diet. But what does eating according to it look like? Dr. D’Adamo breaks foods down into various groups. For each different blood type, foods are labeled as either

• Encouraging weight gain
• Encouraging weight loss
• Being beneficial
• Being neutral
• Being detrimental

Each blood type allegedly responds in one of the above-listed ways to each food group. So, in theory, a person with one type of blood would lose weight on, say, lots of meat while another would gain weight on it.

The actual blood type diets are broken down as such:

Type A: The agrarian or cultivator. This blood type should eat lots of plants and avoid red meat entirely. It mimics a vegetarian diet closely.

Type B: The nomad. This blood type can eat plants and most meats, but should avoid chicken and pork. Some dairy is also allowed. However wheat, corn, tomatoes and lentils should be avoided.

Type AB: The enigma. This one is sort of a hybrid of types A and B. People with this blood type should eat plenty of seafood, grains, tofu, beans and dairy. However, they should avoid kidney beans, beef, corn and poultry.

Type O: The hunter. This blood type should focus on protein. The diet is heavy on most meat and fish. Some produce is allowed. However, dairy, grains and legumes should be mostly avoided. It is quite similar to a paleo diet.

Does The Blood Type Diet Work?

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With thousands of people coming forward and praising this diet for changing their lives, it seems like there has to be some truth behind it. However, the medical community has examined it extensively – in fact there are 16 comprehensive research articles on it – and has found no evidence that it works.

So, why all the hype around it? Many experts agree that the reason there’s been such a positive response to the diet is simple: most people could benefit from any of the blood type diets because they focus on whole, unprocessed and nutrient-dense foods. Compared to the traditional American diet that’s heavy on processed stuff, any of the blood type diets would be a step up. And so, people who experienced benefits from the diet probably would have, no matter which one of the regimens they’d followed – even for a different blood type.

Shortcomings Of The Blood Type Diet

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Even though the blood type diet could offer benefits to some, it’s important to be aware of its shortcomings.

First, it can be quite restrictive, depending on which one you follow. And restrictive diets are rarely sustainable in the long run.

Second, some of the diets call for supplements to make up for the missing nutrients lost through the restricted foods. Not all supplements deliver the benefits they promise, and when it comes to getting the nutrients you need, food is always going to be the richest source.

If you want to try the blood type diet for a short period of time, there should be no harm in doing so. Just consult your doctor or nutritionist in advance to make sure you will still get all of the nutrients you need.

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