The Blood Type Diet

Do you know your blood type?

For most people, knowing their blood type may be assumed information if you need to give or receive blood, but research has shown that your blood type can actually determine how you should eat, exercise, and how your body deals with stress.

This new research and information is ever-evolving, so let’s dive into what we know and how you can tailor your lifestyle based on your blood.

The 411 On Blood Types

In the early 1900s, biologist Karl Landsteiner discovered different kinds of antibodies in human blood, which gave rise to what we know today as the different blood types: A, B, AB, and O.

This discovery has saved a lot of lives, making possible the safe transfusion of blood for people suffering from serious injuries, surgeries, cancer treatments, high-risk childbirths, and blood disorders.

Without knowing there are different types of blood, people would then suffer from hemolytic transfusion reaction, where the immune system rejects infused blood and kills red blood cells as if they were dangerous foreign invaders.  

What Is The Blood Type Diet?

Through this knowledge, ongoing research has shown that your blood type plays a key factor in how your body operates.

Because every blood type holds different red blood cells, research claims that various blood types should eat and exercise differently. 

The Blood Type Diet traces its roots back to the pioneering work of Dr. Peter D'Adamo in the 1980s.

His research stated a movement that states each person needs a different diet, lifestyle, and holds various personality degrees to achieve optimal health and wellness.

The blood type diet takes into consideration what your blood type is – A, B, AB, or O – and gives you guidelines for the best foods to eat and nourish your body with, what foods to avoid, stress management tips, and what types of exercise regimes work best with your body. 

Essentially, the blood type diet indicates that a one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition doesn’t necessarily work.

This is already shown in what nutrients and foods are needed for different stages of one’s life, spanning babies, children, teenagers, adults, pregnant women, and seniors.

This goes even further as shown in a 2015 randomized controlled trial published in the journal Cell.

Researchers monitored the blood glucose trends of 800 people over one week, measuring responses to 46,898 meals.

Results found that high variability in the glucose response to identical meals, suggesting that universal dietary recommendations may not benefit everyone. 

How To Determine Your Blood Type

• Blood Typing Test at a Medical Facility: This is the most accurate and reliable method. A healthcare professional will take a blood sample and send it to a laboratory for testing. The lab will use antibodies and antigens to determine your blood type.

• Home Blood Typing Kit: There are commercially available blood typing kits that you can use at home. These kits typically come with detailed instructions and all the necessary materials to perform a basic blood typing test. However, it's important to ensure that the kit is from a reputable source to ensure accuracy.

• Previous Medical Records: If you've had a blood transfusion, surgery, or other medical procedures that required blood typing, your blood type may be documented in your medical records.

• Blood Donation Centers: When you donate blood, the blood center may provide you with information about your blood type. However, not all blood donation centers offer this service, so it's best to check with the specific center.

• Ask Your Healthcare Provider: If you're unsure about your blood type, you can ask your healthcare provider. They may have your blood type information on file from previous tests or procedures.

• Birth Records: In some cases, your blood type may be recorded on your birth certificate. 

Blood Type A

According to D’Adamo, people with type A blood have a more sensitive immune system and are susceptible to different diseases.

D’Adamo’s research states that the key factor in the development of Type A can be traced to the struggle for survival long ago, when there was a rapidly dwindling supply of hunting game stock.

Over thousands of years, the adaptations that produced Blood Type A were based on the need to fully utilize nutrients from carbohydrate sources.

Those with type A blood have lower levels of hydrochloric acid in the stomach and high intestinal disaccharide digestive enzyme levels.

This makes it so they are more efficient in digestion of carbohydrates but have a harder time to digest animal protein and fat.

• Strengths: Can adapt well to dietary and environmental variety. Ancestral genes are synchronized to preserve and metabolize nutrients efficiently.
  
  
• Weaknesses: Have difficulty digesting and metabolizing meat protein while also being more vulnerable to microbial invasion.
  
  
• Dietary Preferences: Should eat largely vegetarian with a diet rich in soy protein, fruits, and vegetables. Beneficial foods include olive oil, seafood, vegetables, and pineapple. Should avoid meat, dairy, kidney beans, and lima beans.
  
  
• Optimal Exercise Regime: Anything that promotes calming and grounding, including yoga and Tai Chi.  

Blood Type B

According to D’Adamo, people with Type B blood have a different set of characteristics than those with Type O or Type A, as they are more susceptible to various diseases and produce higher levels of cortisol (stress hormone).

Additionally, D’Adamo’s research shows that those with Blood Type B hold strong personality traits exhibiting subjective, easygoing, creative, original, and flexible. 

Blood Type B was developed and inherited in the area of the Himalayan highlands (now Pakistan and India).

Many years ago, these people were pushed out of the hot savannahs of East Africa to the cold highlands of the Himalayan Mountains, resulting in genes that are mutated in response to stark climate and temperature changes.

Through this migration, these people also started to consume more meat and dairy as they depended on domesticating animals for survival.

Today, Type B blood shows “the most clearly defined geographic distribution,” with increased numbers across Japan, Mongolia, China, and India.

Additionally, it stretches into Europe, most notably Germany and Austria.

• Strengths: Holds a strong immune system, easily adapts to dietary and environmental changes, and has a balanced nervous system.
  
  
• Weaknesses: More prone to autoimmune diseases and rare, slow-growing viruses.
  
  
• Dietary Preferences: Should eat a balanced omnivore diet, including dairy, grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, seafood, select beans and legumes. Beneficial foods include greens, eggs, venison, liver, and licorice tea. Foods to avoid include chicken, corn, lentils, peanuts, sesame seeds, and wheat. The latter are the biggest factors in weight gain and affect the efficiency of metabolic processes, resulting in fatigue, fluid retention, and hypoglycemia.
  
  
• Optimal Exercise Regime: Moderate physical exercise that includes and promotes a mental component, such as hiking, cycling, rock climbing, tennis, and swimming. 

Blood Type AB

According to D’Adamo, Type AB blood is actually rare and is found in less than 5% of the population.

Because of this, it’s the “newest” of the blood types and only surfaced until 10-12 centuries ago.

Type AB blood resulted from the conjunction of Type A and Type B blood, with both holding “co-dominant” genre variations that allow them to coexist with each other.

Type AB holds characteristics then from both Type A and Type B, holding enhanced immune system capabilities and personality traits reflecting more emotional, passionate, friendly, trusting, and empathetic qualities.

D’Adamo’s research states that those with Type AB blood usually have Type A’s low stomach acid while also holding Type B’s adaptation to meats.

This means that people with Type AB blood usually lack enough stomach acid to successfully and efficiently metabolize meat and gets stored as fat. 

• Strengths: Has a versatile and highly tolerant immune system fit for modern conditions.
  
  
• Weaknesses: May have a sensitive digestive tract that is more open to microbial invasion.
  
  
• Dietary Preferences: Should eat a mixed diet that includes key sources of lamb, fish, dairy, tofu, beans, legumes, grains, vegetables, and fruit. Beneficial foods include tofu, seafood, greens, and kelp, while foods to avoid include chicken, smoked or cured meats, corn, kidney beans, and buckwheat. Additionally, they should eat smaller, more frequent meals
  
  
• Optimal Exercise Regime: Anything that promotes a calming and centering presence with moderate exercise, including yoga, cycling, and tennis. 

Blood Type O

According to D’Adamo, Type O blood is the oldest of the blood types and is the only blood type that carries two opposing blood type antibodies (one blood type A and another that contrasts blood type B).

This has poised those with Type O with enhanced survival advantages and useful defensive benefits.

However, some research has shown the contrasting antibodies can also cause innate immune reactivity, with some Type O people having twice as many ulcers of all kinds than those with other blood types.

D’Adamo’s research states that people with Type O blood have higher levels of stomach acid, giving them a well-developed ability to digest meals with protein and meat.

Additionally, the ancestral genes of those with Type O cause more of an immediate “fight or flight” response to situations, resulting in more instances of excessive anger, hyperactivity, and chemical imbalances. 

• Strengths: Hold a strong digestive tract and immune system, with robust natural defenses against infections. All systems work together to preserve and metabolize nutrients efficiently.
  
  
• Weaknesses: Can have difficulty adjusting to new dietary and environmental conditions and may even hold an overactive immune system.
  
  
• Dietary Preferences: Meals high in protein, including meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, limited grains, beans, and legumes. Beneficial foods include kelp, seafood, red meat, kale, spinach, broccoli, and olive oil. Foods to avoid include wheat, corn, navy beans, lentils, kidney beans, and dairy.
  
  
• Optimal Exercise Regime: Should take part in intense physical exercises like aerobics, running, and martial arts.  

Problems & Unmatched Research With The Blood Type Diet

While it looks good on paper, there are some gaps associated with the blood type diet. 

First, it solely focuses on genetics, which research over the years has shown is just one factor that affects one’s health.

Second, the diet does place more of an emphasis on consuming protein through animal products (except blood type A) while advising against lectins.

While research is ever-evolving, some studies have shown that certain lectins and plants have blood group antigens and also contain high amounts of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting compounds that are good for the body and immune system. 

Additionally, while D’Adamo’s research has been around for over 40 years, it does lack robust scientific evidence.

A systematic review evaluated that belief and practice of the blood type diet holds no evidence of health benefits. 

Is The Blood Type Diet For You?

Embracing the blood type diet isn't just about adapting your nutrition; it's a journey towards holistic well-being.

By aligning your diet, exercise, and stress management with your blood type, you're unlocking the potential for a healthier, more vibrant life.

Remember, this approach is a guide, not a rigid rule. The key is to listen to your body and find what resonates best with you.

Here's to a balanced, harmonious journey towards wellness!