one’s health. This risk and the fact that there is no
scientific evidence to back up the claims needs to be
emphasized more strongly Since there is no data that
confirms the efficacy of this diet for individuals with
medical conditions that require careful monitoring of
diet. Individuals with diseases such as diabetes, coro-
nary artery disease, compromised liver function, or
any kidney disease may not be able to follow a diet
tailored for blood type alone.
Research and general acceptanceGeneral acceptance
While many followers of the Blood Type diet
report improved health and weight loss, the Blood
Type diet is not widely accepted. Dr. D’Adamo cites
many anthropological and microbiological studies to
support his theories. However, critics argue there is
virtually no data to support his diet plan. They charge
that he has no well designed, well control studies to
validate his claims that blood type is critical to the
impact of diet. Noting that he has not conducted
simple before and after blood studies to demonstrate
his claim that lectin protein in foods cause blood cells
to agglutinate or stick together.
Furthermore, they argue, if agglutination were as
wide spread and common as Dr. D’Adamo claims,
thousands of people would die each year from organ
failure caused by this process and that pathologists
would easily see evidence of this. Yet, no such evidence
is presented or found in a review of the literature.
Additionally, critics argue that reducing people to
a set of criteria based solely on blood type is tanta-
mount to biological astrology. Characterizing all
blood type O individuals as hunter-gatherers who
need meat and blood type A individuals as more pas-
sive agrarians who will benefit most from a nearly
vegetarian diet, they argue is far too simplistic for
beings as genetically diverse and complex as humans.Research
There have been no controlled studies comparing
those who follow the Blood Type diet with those who
do not, or those who follow other diets. Dr. D’Adamo
cites studies that demonstrate the effect of specific
food lectin on animals such as rabbits which develop
symptoms similar to arthritis when lentil lectins are
injected into the knees of those sensitive to lentil
lectins.
Dr. D’Adamo reports he has tested lectins from
most common foods against individual blood types to
determine which blood types are sensitive to the lectins
of which foods.
Similarly, he reports measuring the impact of lec-
tins on his patients by using the Indian Scale, a meas-
ure of the effectiveness of the bowels. Higher values on
the Indian Scale indicate reduced function of the liver
and intestines and increased levels of toxins. Dr.
D’Adamo reports that the Indian Scale scores of his
patients have decreased significantly after following
the correct Blood Type diet.
Dr. D’Adamo cites multiple individual case stud-
ies of patients he has treated using the Blood Type diet
with great success.Resources
BOOKS
D’Adamo, Peter M.D. with Allan Richards.One Man’s
Food—Is Someone Else’s Poison.. Toronto, Ontario,
Canada: Health Thru Herbs (1994).
D’Adamo, Peter J. M.D. and Catherine Whitney.Cook
Right for Your Blood Type: The Practical Kitchen
Companion to Eat Right for Your Blood Type. Berkley,
CA: Berkley Trade, 2000.
D’Adamo, Peter M.D. with Catherine Whitney.Eat Right
For your Type: The Individualized Diet Solution to
Staying Healthy, Living Longer, and Achieving your
Ideal Weight. New York, NY: G. P. Putnam and Sons,
1996.
D’Adamo, Peter J. M.D. and Catherine Whitney.Live Right
for Your Blood Type. New York, NY: Putnam Adult,
2000.
D’Adamo, Peter J. M.D. and Catherine Whitney.The Eat
Right for Your Blood Type Encyclopedia. New York,
NY: G. P. Putnam and Sons, Riverhead Books, 2002.
Nomi, Toshitaka and Alexander Besher.You Are Your
Blood Type. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1983.QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR
DOCTOR Is this diet appropriate for me?
How long should I follow this diet?
Are there any special precautions I should
follow?
What are the potential health risks, if any, for me
as an individual?
Are there any drug precautions I should be
aware of while following this diet?
Will I need any dietary supplements if I adopt a
this diet?
In light of my other medical conditions, is this
diet safe for me to follow?Blood type diet