With the holidays rapidly approaching, millions of Americans will soon be thinking about their New Year’s resolutions. For those interested in losing weight or eating better, the blood type diet may seem like an appealing and personalized option. The blood type diet was created and popularized by Dr. Peter D’Adamo, a naturopathic physician, in his 1996 best-selling book Eat Right For Your Type. Dr. D’Adamo asserts that the food we eat has a chemical reaction to our blood type. Therefore, it is important to eat and exercise according to our blood type to maximize health and wellness and fight/prevent disease.
What Am I Supposed to Eat?
Type A: Does best on a plant-based diet that is high in grains, beans, soy, vegetables, and fruit. This blood type has poor digestion and a weak immune system.
Type B: Does best on a balanced diet consisting of meat (except chicken), dairy, grains, vegetables, and fruit. This blood type doesn’t have allergies.
Type AB: Does best with a diet that is a combination of type A and B. Diet should consist of seafood, dairy, grains, vegetables and fruit. Chicken, bananas, and corn should be avoided.
Type O: Does best with a high protein diet high in meat, eggs, nuts, fish, fruit, and vegetables. Similar to paleo diet.
So What Does the Research Say?
Dr. Heber, the founding director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, sums it up well in this video. In a nutshell, he explains that one’s blood type has nothing to do with what we can or can’t eat. The only situation in which your blood type is of great importance is if you’re in need of a blood transfusion.
Research backs Dr. Heber’s assertion that the premise of the blood type diet is a myth. A 2013 study set out to conduct a thorough review of all the research completed on the blood type diet (Cusack, De Buck, Compernolle, and Vandekerckhove, 2013). The researchers were unable to find a great deal of research on the subject. However, the studies they were able to find consistently contradicted the claims made by Dr. D’Adamo and his supporters.
In a more recent study, Wang, Garcia-Bailo, Nielsen, Jenkins, and El-Sohemy’s (2018) conducted research on 973 overweight adults ranging in age from 18-82 years old. The researchers were interested to see if there was a definitive link between blood type and overall health. Wang, et al. found that participants following the blood type diet did indeed improve their overall health. However, this was independent of their actual blood type. Dr. D’Adamo’s food recommendations for all four blood types call for a decrease in processed food and an increase in vegetable and fruit intake. Any individual who increases fruit and vegetable intake and eliminates processed food will see an improvement in their health and weight. Wang, et al. (2018) point out that a majority of health agencies have similar guidelines, which are not related to blood type. In conclusion, this study found that any health benefits related to following the blood type diet were not linked to the participants’ blood type and were a result of an overall improved diet.
Another interesting piece of research was conducted by Laura Powers of the Biotype Research Corporation. Powers (2007) was interested to see if there was a link between blood type and food allergies. To accomplish this, she looked at immune responses in blood that are commonly used to diagnose allergies and intolerances. After analyzing close to 42,000 samples, it was determined that her findings directly contradicted Dr. D’Adamo’s claims. Furthermore, Power was able to back the link between blood type and food allergies with data. To date, Dr. D’Adamo has yet to publish research supporting his claims or the reasoning behind his food recommendations.
The Bottom Line
The blood type diet is a myth. The overall recommendations made by the blood type diet would benefit anyone looking to lose weight or become healthier. However, these results have nothing to do with one’s blood type, but rather are the result of healthier eating habits.
References
CTStyle. (2017, January 4). Eat right 4 your type: Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0JAUYv8L1Y
Cusack, L., De Buck, E., Compernolle, V., & Vandekerckhove, P. (2013). Blood type diets lack supporting evidence: a systematic review. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 98, 99-104. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.113.058693
Heber, D. [UCLA Health]. (2017, September 13]. Blood type diet: Does it work?/ UCLA Center for Human Nutrition [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ogp12DESvgY
Power, L. (2007). Biotype diets system: Blood types and food allergies. Journal of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine, 16 (2), 125-135. doi: 10.1080/13590840701352807
The Whole Journey. (2012, November 17). How to eat for your blood type [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnk1p92ZlqM
Wang, J., Jamnik, J., Garcia-Bailo, B., Nielsen, D.E., Jenkins, D.J.A., & El-Sohemy, A. (2018). ABO genotype does not modify the association between the “blood type” diet and biomarkers of cardiometabolic disease in overweight adults. The Journal of Nutrition, 148 (4), 518-525. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxx074.
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