FunctionThe Blood Type diet is based on the fact that all
foods have lectins, or proteins that can interact with
antibodies in blood. Dr. D’Adamo has tested most
foods and determined which blood types react
adversely to lectins in most foods.
When a specific food’s lectin reacts with a specific
blood type (A, B, AB, or O), it causes a process called
agglutination to occur. In agglutination, the lectins
cause the blood to become sticky. Dr. D’Adamo
believes these sticky blood cells can lead to medical
conditions such as impaired digestion, kidney and
liver problems, headache, diabetes, obesity, and
many others.
In order to reverse the problems caused by agglu-
tination, an individual must avoid or limit the con-
sumption of foods that cause it. Dr. D’Adamo has
tested foods to determine which foods react adversely
with which blood types. By following the Blood Type
diet, these foods and the offending lectins may be
avoided, and health may be improved.
In addition to the main blood types of A, B, AB,
and O, there are many subtypes. These are other fac-
tors that are contained within your blood. These addi-
tional subtypes include secretor status and Rh. Rh is
the part of blood that determines if a blood type is
positive or negative. The Rh factor of blood type is not
affected by diet; however, when blood type is reported,
it is usually given as well.
Secretor status does influence the role diet plays in
the functions of the body. Secretor status refers to
whether or not blood type antigens, the part of the
blood that determines type, are in other fluids of your
body such as saliva and urine. Approximately 80% of
all people are secretors. For these people, blood type
can be determined by testing other bodily fluids. In the
remaining 20% of the population, blood type antigens
are found only in the blood. According to Dr.
D’Adamo, secretors are more sensitive to interactions
with food lectins. Secretors would have a more severe
reaction over more systems in the body than non-
sectretors. There is a test to determine if an individual
is a secretor; however, since 80% of the population are
secretors, chances are that most people who attempt
the Blood Type diet are secretors.BenefitsDr. D’Adamo reports health benefits in his
patients that follow the Blood Type diet. His official
website is full of testimonials from satisfied Blood
Type diet followers. Not only do they report weightloss, but, according to Dr. D’Adamo, each blood type
is more susceptible to certain illnesses than the others.
According to Dr. D’Adamo, the benefits of fol-
lowing the Blood Type diet for people with blood type
A include weight loss and a reduced risk of heart
disease,cancer, anemia, liver and gallbladder disor-
ders, and type I diabetes.
For individuals with blood type B, the benefits if
following the Blood Type diet include weight loss and
a reduction of the risk of type I diabetes, chronic
fatigue syndrome, and auto immune disorders such
as Lou Gehrig’s disease, lupus, and multiple sclerosis.
People with blood type AB who follow the Blood
Type diet may lose weight and have a reduction in the
risk of developing heart disease, cancer, or anemia.
For individuals with blood type O, following the
Blood Type diet may help them lose weight and may
prevent blood clotting disorder, inflammatory dis-
eases such as arthritis, hypothyroidism,ulcers, and
asthma.
Even critics of the diet suggest that features of the
diet such as limiting the amount of saturated fat and
highly processed ‘‘junk foods’’ will benefit most
people.Precautions
Since blood type is a fixed characteristic of an
individual, it never changes. Following a diet based
on blood type would theoretically never need to
change. However, there are many medical conditions
that change as a person ages. Diseases may develop
such as diabetes,hypertension(high blood pressure),
and heart disease that may require an individual with
type O blood to reduce consumption of meat and
increase intake of fruits and vegetables. Following
this diet may be harmful if variations in the diet neces-
sary for health maintenance are not allowed.
Encouraging a specific blood type to gradually
increase dairy consumption may cause discomfort to
individuals with a natural lactose intolerance, regard-
less of blood type. Conversely limiting diary can lead
to poorcalciumintakes and bone related diseases
Certain individuals with proteindeficiency or
anemia may need to consume more meat to insure
sufficient protein consumption, regardless of blood
type.Risks
Unbalanced diets put one at risk of nutritional
deficiencies or long term poor intakes that will affectBlood type diet