The blood type diet, also known as the blood group diet, gained popularity in 1996 with Dr. Peter D’Adamo's book "Eat Right 4 Your Type." This diet suggests that your ABO blood group may determine the best foods for you to eat. Dr. D’Adamo claims that the optimal diet and exercise regimen for any one individual depends on their ABO blood type, supposedly leading to improved health and a decreased risk of chronic diseases. He also posits that each blood type represents the genetic traits of our ancestors and the diets they evolved to thrive on. Let's delve into the specifics of the blood type diet, with a particular focus on the recommendations for individuals with type B positive blood.
Understanding the Blood Type Diet
The blood type diet operates on the premise that your blood type is linked to your ancestry and, therefore, dictates the foods your body processes most efficiently. The diet categorizes foods based on how they interact with each blood type, with the ultimate goal of optimizing health and well-being.
According to D'Adamo, blood types have evolved through human evolution. He theorizes that most people were originally type O, hunter-gatherers with a predominantly animal-protein-based diet. Group A was said to evolve when humans began to farm and had more vegetarian diets. Group B blood types were said to arise among nomadic tribes who consumed a lot of dairy products.
The Role of Lectins
One of the central theories of the blood type diet revolves around lectins, proteins that can bind to carbohydrate molecules. Plant-based lectins, sometimes referred to as antinutrients, may cause negative effects in humans, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
The blood type diet theory suggests that eating the wrong types of lectins may specifically target different ABO blood types, causing red blood cells to agglutinate, or clump together, which could increase your risk of disease.
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Some research suggests that a small percentage of lectins in raw, uncooked legumes can have agglutinating activity specific to a certain blood type. For example, a 2004 review suggests that raw lima beans may affect red blood cells in people with blood type A.
However, it appears that the majority of agglutinating lectins react with all ABO blood types. This means that lectins in the diet may not be blood-type specific, except for a few varieties of raw legumes.
Type B Blood: The Nomadic Type
According to the blood type diet, individuals with type B blood, known as "Nomadic," thrive on a high dairy diet. Peter J. D'Adamo claims that the first Asian nomads are your ancient ancestors if you have B-positive or B-negative blood. Following a diet that restricts or eliminates the foods these nomads would not have eaten will help a person with type-B blood lose weight, feel more energetic, and avoid medical problems.
Foods to Embrace for Type B Positive
The blood type diet encourages people with B-positive blood to enjoy a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. For Type B blood, focusing on a balanced diet between protein and vegetables is the way to go.
Unlike the diet advice given to type-A and type-O people on the blood type diet plan, type-B people are allowed dairy products in moderation, including cow's milk, eggs, buttermilk and cheeses such as cheddar, Swiss, Monterey jack and Brie.
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While lamb, venison, mutton, and some types of fish are recommended.
Adding Deflect B to your Blood Type B Diet can be a game-changer in optimizing your dietary choices to suit your unique blood type. This supplement is designed to block harmful lectins, which are proteins that can interfere with your body’s natural processes. For individuals with Blood Type B, lectins found in certain foods can be particularly problematic. One of the key ingredients in Deflect B is N-acetyl D-glucosamine, which helps to neutralize harmful lectins specific to Blood Type B. Additionally, it includes Larch Arabinogalactan, which supports a healthy gut microbiome, essential for efficient digestion and overall immune health. Furthermore, the supplement contains Prickly Pear Cactus, which can help balance blood sugar levels-a crucial aspect for Blood Type B individuals.
Foods to Limit or Avoid for Type B Positive
A person with B-positive blood is told to avoid all forms of wheat on the blood type diet, including whole-wheat bread products, durum wheat products, bulgur, wheat germ, wheat bran, shredded wheat and cream of wheat. Consuming wheat will supposedly increase the chance of diabetes and weight gain. In addition, type-B people should avoid buckwheat, rye, couscous, soba noodles, wild rice and cornmeal.
Chicken, goose, duck and quail are not recommended for type-B individuals, as D'Adamo claims that chicken in particular contains compounds that can increase a type-B person's risk of immune problems and stroke. the blood type diet also discourages people with B-positive blood from consuming any type of pork, anchovies, striped bass, octopus, smoked salmon and shellfish like mussels, shrimp, oysters and lobster.
But they are instructed to avoid ice cream and three specific types of cheeses: string cheese, blue cheese and processed American cheese.
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Certain plant-based proteins should be considered off-limits for people with type-B blood, contends D'Adamo. These include peanuts, which he says will inhibit the liver and cause a drop in blood sugar, as well as sesame seeds and lentils, which allegedly prevent proper nutrient absorption in type-B individuals. Cashews, pistachios, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, black beans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and tofu are examples of other restricted foods.
D'Adamo cautions them to steer clear of pomegranates, coconuts, rhubarb, all types of olives, artichokes, radishes, tomatoes, avocados, pumpkin and mung bean sprouts. Corn, which D'Adamo says will slow a type-B person's metabolism and increase his risk of diabetes, should be particularly avoided.
the blood type program especially warns type-B individuals to avoid consuming carbonated beverages, including club soda, regular or diet cola and seltzer water.
Scientific Scrutiny of the Blood Type Diet
Despite its popularity, the blood type diet has faced considerable skepticism from the scientific community. High-quality studies about the blood type diet had not been published in peer-reviewed medical literature. Even now, a search in the medical literature for the author's name reveals no research pertaining to this diet. The 2013 study analyzed the world's medical literature and found no studies demonstrating benefit from a blood type diet.
A 2014 study analyzed the world's medical literature and found no studies demonstrating benefit from a blood type diet. The 2014 study found that while people following any of the blood type diets had some improvement in certain cardiometabolic risk factors (such as cholesterol or blood pressure), those improvements were unrelated to blood type.
In a 2014 study of 1,455 participants, eating a type A diet of fruits and vegetables was associated with better health markers. However, this effect was seen in everyone following the type A diet, not just individuals with type A blood. Similarly, a 2018 study of 973 adults with overweight found that matching a participant’s blood type with the respective recommended BTD didn’t impact the link between BTD and markers of cardiometabolic disease. Lastly, in a 2020 study, 68 participants of different blood types ate a low fat vegan diet for 16 weeks. At the end of the 16 weeks, the researchers found no major differences in cardiometabolic changes between any of the groups.
Challenging the Ancestral Connection
Each of these theories has been challenged. For example, there is evidence that type A was actually the first blood group to evolve in humans, not type O. In addition, there is no proven connection between blood type and digestion.
Potential Benefits and Drawbacks
Eating based on your blood type requires you to know your blood type and then follow a restrictive diet. Personal preferences might be a problem: a vegetarian with type O blood may struggle to stay on the assigned diet, and people who love red meat may be disappointed to learn they have type A blood. Recommended supplements are not cheap; neither are the recommended organic foods.
Advocates of blood type diets may say that while the ideal study has not yet been performed, the absence of evidence doesn't prove they're ineffective. And there's also no proof that these diets are harmful.
Potential Benefits
The BTD removes the majority of unhealthy processed foods. This may be why it works, without any regard to the different blood types.
Potential Drawbacks
There’s concern that the Eat Right 4 Your Type diet for those with blood type O is too protein-heavy. “Animal protein, especially red meat, has been linked to health problems, such as heart disease and colorectal cancer,” says Grotto.
Also, dietitians say it’s possible that individuals may experience nutritional deficiencies when following the eating plan.
Another potential long-term problem with the blood type diet is a drawback common to many diets: Restriction leads to boredom.
Some critics argue that Eat Right 4 Your Type places too much emphasis on blood type and fails to take into account individual differences.
Sample Menu for Type B
Here is a sample one-day diet for each blood type, based on D’Adamo’s recommended recipes: (6)Type BBreakfast Oatmeal with unsalted butter or gheeLunch Indian curry saladSnack Kale chipsDinner Apple-braised lamb shoulder chopsDessert Carob fudge
The Importance of Individualized Nutrition
Different diets work for different people. You may do well with a lot of plants and little meat (like the type A diet), while others may thrive eating plenty of high-protein animal foods (like the type O diet).