The concept of tailoring one's diet to their blood type, particularly the O negative blood type, has gained considerable attention. This approach, popularized by naturopath Peter D’Adamo, suggests that individuals with different blood types should adhere to specific dietary guidelines to optimize health and reduce the risk of certain diseases. However, it is crucial to examine the scientific evidence supporting these claims.
Origins of the Blood Type Diet
Peter D’Adamo proposed that a diet based on blood type could improve overall health. He theorized that a chemical reaction occurs when blood interacts with certain foods, particularly through proteins called lectins. Lectins, according to D’Adamo, can affect the blood and digestive tract by binding to cells, causing them to clump together, potentially leading to hormonal and other health disruptions, similar to the body's response to a foreign substance. D’Adamo suggested that different blood types react differently to various foods and their lectins, leading to specific dietary recommendations for each blood type.
According to Dr. D’Adamo’s BTD, all four blood types can eat meat. However, the recommended diet for type A is mostly vegetarian and only recommends poultry and fish, while the type O diet is mostly animal protein-based.
The O Negative Blood Type Diet: What It Entails
The O blood type diet is designed for individuals with type O positive or negative blood. The Blood Type Diet provides you with the avenue to reap the benefits of your O blood type and avoid common type O health issues. This diet is one that focuses on your body's strengths and weaknesses.
Type O, known as Hunter, is supposedly the oldest blood type and thrives on a high animal protein diet.
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Type O was said to be the original "ancestral" blood type of the earliest humans who were hunter-gatherers, with diets that were high in animal protein.
O blood types usually have strong immune systems and digestive tracts, as well as synchronicity in their body's ability to preserve and metabolize nutrients. In this personalized catalogue, you'll find beneficial protein products and supplements designed for your needs - for example, people with blood type O benefit greatly from the consumption of high protein meats and vegetables like fish and beans.
The diet plan dictates that people in the O blood group should consume “beneficial” animal products, including:beef, lamb, mutton, veal, venison, cod, herring, mackerel.
People with type O blood following the diet are allowed to consume most meat products, including cold-water fish.
Foods to Eat
According to proponents of the diet, people with blood type O should eat certain foods.
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It is important for a person to pay attention to how their body reacts to the foods and beverages that they consume so that they can get to know what diet works best for them.
- Animal Proteins: The diet plan dictates that people in the O blood group should consume “beneficial” animal products, including beef, lamb, mutton, veal, venison, cod, herring, mackerel. People with type O blood following the diet are allowed to consume most meat products, including cold-water fish. In this personalized catalogue, you'll find beneficial protein products and supplements designed for your needs - for example, people with blood type O benefit greatly from the consumption of high protein meats and vegetables like fish and beans.
- Nuts: Nuts are a great source of protein and healthful fats, and people following the diet can typically have most nuts, except for the ones in the “foods to avoid” list below. Suitable nuts and seeds, including walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds, are available to purchase online. Pumpkin seeds and walnuts supposedly provide the most benefits.
- Beans: People with type O blood tolerate beans. Proponents of the diet believe that the most beneficial beans for these individuals are: adzuki beans, pinto beans, black eyed peas
- Grains: While most people on the O positive and negative diet should avoid grains, a few can remain in the diet, including: amaranth, buckwheat, rice, kamut, kasha, millet. Some people may also be able to eat gluten-containing grains, while others will be unable to tolerate them. These grains include: barley, rye, spelt, oat, Essene bread and Ezekiel bread.
- Vegetables: With a few exceptions - which are on the list of foods to avoid - people with type O blood can eat most vegetables, including: tomatoes, artichoke, chicory, dandelion, garlic, horseradish, kale, okra, onions, parsley, parsnips, red peppers, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, seaweed, turnips.
- Fruits: Some of the recommended fruits for people with type O blood include: plums, prunes, figs, grapefruit, most berries.
- Spices and Condiments: Spices that people following the diet can enjoy include: kelp-based seasoning, iodized salt, parsley, curry, cayenne pepper, chocolate, cocoa, honey
- Beverages: People following an O positive and negative diet can drink the following: seltzer water, club soda, sparkling water, tea, wine
Foods to Avoid
Supporters of the diet suggest that people with type O blood may experience unwanted weight gain when they eat particular food groups, such as dairy. Specific products, such as wheat-based foods that contain gluten, may also lead to an inflammatory and autoimmune response.
- Animal Proteins: The diet plan for people with type O blood excludes: pork, including ham and bacon, goose, barracuda, pickled herring, catfish, smoked salmon, caviar, octopus, conch.
- Nuts: Particular nuts also do not feature in the diet plan, including: Brazil nuts, cashews, peanuts, pistachios, poppy seeds.
- Beans: Beans that proponents of the diet advise against include: copper beans, kidney beans, tamarind beans, lentils, including domestic, green, and red lentils.
- Grains: The diet also excludes the following grains: corn, gluten, graham, bulgur, durum, sprouted, white and whole wheat, wheat germ and bran, farina, seven grain.
- Vegetables: Although people in blood group O tolerate many vegetables well, the advice is that they should avoid: vegetables belonging to the Brassica family, including cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and mustard greens, alfalfa sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, fermented olives, vegetables from the nightshade family, including eggplant and potatoes, corn, leek.
- Fruits: People following the O positive and negative diet should also avoid several specific fruits: melons, including cantaloupe and honeydew, oranges, tangerines, strawberries and blackberries, rhubarb, avocado, coconut and products that contain coconut.
- Spices and Condiments: Spices and condiments to avoid in the diet include: pepper, both white and black, vinegar, capers, cornstarch and corn syrup, nutmeg, vanilla, ketchup, pickles, mayonnaise, relish.
- Beverages: People with type O blood should avoid drinking the following, according to the diet plan: beer, coffee, distilled liquor, black tea
Scientific Evidence and Criticisms
Despite the popularity of the blood type diet, scientific research has not validated its effectiveness. A 2014 study concluded that their findings did not support the claims that a blood type diet provides specific benefits. A 2013 review of data relating to the blood type diet also found that no evidence is currently available to verify the benefits of this eating plan.
One of the central theories of the BTD has to do with proteins called lectins. These are a family of proteins that can bind to carbohydrate molecules.Plant-based lectins are sometimes referred to as antinutrients and may cause negative effects in humans, such as: nauseavomitingdiarrheaabdominal pain.According to the BTD theory, eating the wrong types of lectins may specifically target different ABO blood types. They may cause red blood cells to agglutinate, or clump together, which could increase your risk of disease.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.Overall, 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.However, no research to date suggests that lectins affect people in specific blood groups differently.
A 2014 study showed that adhering to the blood type O diet reduced levels of triglycerides in the blood, the storage form of fat. Despite this, the study authors concluded that the drop in triglyceride levels occurred due to factors unrelated to a person’s blood group.
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The minimal research that does exist on BTD doesn’t support Dr. D’Adamo’s claims that specific foods may cause benefits or harm to certain blood groups. 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.
Associations Between Blood Types and Health Conditions
Different blood types may make people more or less susceptible to certain conditions. A large genetic study from 2019, for example, found that people with type A and AB blood have an increased risk of gastric cancer. A 2019 study in Croatia also found an association between the AB blood type and the risk of psychiatric disorders. The researchers suggested that those in the AB blood group are three times as likely as those in other blood groups to have a psychiatric disorder.
Research on ABO blood types has advanced rapidly in the past few decades.For example, the authors of a 2022 study cite many associations that have been made between blood types and various diseases, such as:hepatitis, thrombosis, cardiovascular diseases, cognitive disorders, circulatory system diseases, infections, tuberculosis. However, no studies suggest that these are related to diet.
General Dietary Recommendations
The BTD removes the majority of unhealthy processed foods. This may be why it works, without any regard to the different blood types.
Instead, most health experts recommend a well-balanced, heart-healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables for everyone, regardless of blood type. Remember, many factors influence health outcomes, including age, sex, genetics, family history, nutrition, physical activity and medication use.All four diets are mostly based on real, healthy foods, rather than processed foods. So, even if you try one of these diets and your health improves, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to do with your blood type. The health benefits may simply be a result of eating healthier food than before.
Practical Considerations and Potential Benefits
People following a specific blood type diet may report improved health, but this could occur due to them eating more healthful food in general. The blood type diet (BTD), also known as the blood group diet, was popularized in 1996 by Dr. Peter D’Adamo in his book “Eat Right 4 Your Type.”In this book, Dr. D’Adamo claims the optimal diet and exercise regimen for any one individual depends on their ABO blood type. This may supposedly have benefits like improved health and decreased risk of chronic diseases.He also claims that each blood type represents the genetic traits of our ancestors, such as which diet they evolved to thrive on.
Does blood type diet work?The short answer is: maybe. Some research suggests that eating certain foods is associated with better health markers. However, no research supports the claim that specific diets are better for specific blood types.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).
It is always important for a person to pay attention to how their body reacts to the foods and beverages that they consume so that they can get to know what diet works best for them.
Knowing Your Blood Type
Curious about your blood type? There are several ways to find out, including asking your healthcare provider if you were tested, donating blood or taking a blood type test. One convenient option is the Labcorp OnDemand Blood Type Test, which can determine if you're A+, A-, B+, B-, O+, O-, AB+ or AB-. This test measures the combination of A and B blood type antigens and specific antibodies that correspond to the four blood groups.
Medical care: Blood type information is crucial for procedures requiring blood transfusionsPregnancy: It's important for managing potential complications during pregnancyBlood donation: Knowing your blood type allows you to donate to specific individuals or the public.