Blood Type Diet - Peter D'Adamo

This physician has outlined blood type diet in his book entitled "Eat Right 4 Your Type". D'Adamo claims that the ABO blood type can be an essential factor for us to determine which diet can make us healthier and happier. Thus, he proposes distinctive kinds of diet for people with A, B, O and AB blood groups.

In mostly all of his books, this author gives quotes from the writings of glycobiologists and chemists who apparently have made researches into blood groups and their general influence on people's good health. D'Adamo claims or implies that these experts' researches support to his theory. However, there is plenty of dispute and often disagreement among several scientists, physicians, dietitians and other specialists concerning the validity of D'Adamo's theory.

D'Adamo believes that blood group O (zero) is the "hunter". In his view, it represents the oldest blood type in the history of mankind, originating some 30,000 years ago. According to D'Adamo, blood type 0 should have a protein-based kind of diet. People having blood type 0 have a highly-resistant digestive system allowing them to metabolize mostly anything. This "anything" may also refer to generally non-recommended foods. According to certain studies, such persons undoubtedly are the carnivorous type. Consequently, their diet should be rich in proteins, i.e. in meat. They can eat any type of meat, especially fish, beef and poultry, but they should rather avoid fatter kinds of meat such as pork, bacon, goose meat, and so on. 0 blood type people are more exposed to diseases such as hypothyroidism and digestive system's malfunctions (which are generally caused by the high degree of gastric activity).

Blood type A is the "agrarian" or "cultivator" (still in D'Adamo's perspective). He believes it to be a more evolved blood group, which dates back from the very first beginnings of agricultural activities, i.e. about 20,000 years ago. According to D'Adamo, people with blood A type should be vegetarians. They should base their diet on fresh fruits and vegetables and avoid red meat in particular. This category of people can also eat sea fruits and other such products, together with other goodies such as cereals. They are recommended though to eat white meat from time to time, i.e. fish and poultry meat. Blood A type should avoid intensive physical activities and should rather go for more spiritual things such as yoga, meditation or for stretching exercises. This category is more exposed to cardiovascular diseases, to diabetes and cancer. Also, the alcoholism gene is said to be more common in blood type A. But let's not forget that these assumptions are not the common view of experts in this field, it is mostly D'Adamo's theory.

In the physician's point of view, blood type B people are the nomads. Such people have a stronger immune system and a quite flexible digestive system. According to the blood type diet theory, blood type B people are huge fans of dairy products. D'Adamo also states they appeared about 10,000 years ago. Such type of people are said to be omnivorous. They need an extremely varied diet. It should be based on fruits and greens, eggs, dairy products, pasta, and meat also, although in moderate quantities. They should avoid poultry meat. They are prone to bladder-related diseases and infections and to pneumonia also.

According to D'Adamo, blood type AB is the type who has evolved most recently. Thus, it has arrived around less than 1,000 years ago. As far as diet is concerned, this type is a sort of intermediary type between A and B blood types. We could mention that this type should still base their diet on dairy products, fruits, greens, soy products, sea fruits and less on meat products.

D'Adamo's hypotheses have been criticized due to the so-claimed lack of adequate evidence. An example in this respect would be the fact that his first writing "Eat Right 4 Your Type", which was published in 1997, contained only one title in the bibliography. According to D'Adamo's most fervent critics, he did not document the exact process and main reasons for his reaching such conclusions.

If he is right or not, one thing is certain: We should all eat as much fruits and vegetables as possible, and avoid excessive consumption of any kind of meat in general and red meat in particular.