With so many diet fads out there, it's hard to keep up.
You have the Keto diet where one eats a high-fat diet. You have Aktins, low-carb dieting, and so much more. There's also the Blood Type Diet, where one eats according to their blood type.
According to the Japanese, one's blood type can affect things like a person's personality. Some believe that blood type can even affect compatibility and love. But is there a difference between how different foods would digest between different people with different blood types?
What exactly is the Blood Type Diet?
Back in 1996, naturopathic physician, Peter D’Adamo, published Eat Right For Your Blood Type, a book highlighting how people could be healthier, live longer, and reach their ideal weight by simply eating according to their blood type. Everything from the condiments, spices, and even exercise that a person chooses should depend on one’s blood type according to his book.
Following the commercial success of his book(s), people around the world modified their grocery lists and changed how they ate and exercised.
According to the “Eat Right for Your Type” diet here are a few quick notes:
- Those with type B blood - a diverse diet including meat, fruit, dairy, seafood, and grains is recommended. Type B individuals should choose green vegetables, eggs, liver, and licorice tea but avoid chicken, corn, peanuts, and wheat if they are shooting to lose weight.
- Those with type AB blood - dairy, tofu, lamb, fish, grains, fruit, and vegetables are recommended. Tofu, seafood, green vegetables, and kelp are best for weight loss, but chicken, corn, buckwheat, and kidney beans are not recommended.
- Those with type O blood - a high-protein diet with lots of meat, vegetables, fish, and fruit but limit grains, beans, and legumes. Seafood, kelp, red meat, broccoli, spinach, and olive oil are best, while wheat, corn, and dairy are to be avoided for weight loss.
- Those with type A blood - A diet high in fruit, vegetables, tofu, seafood, turkey, and whole grains is recommended, but avoid meat. Seafood, vegetables, pineapple, olive oil, and soy are best, while dairy, wheat, corn, and kidney beans should be avoided if the individual is trying to lose weight.
Your blood type also determines which exercises a person should do, according to D’Adamo's findings. For instance, those with Type-O blood type should focus on high-intensity aerobic exercise and take recommended supplements for their sensitive stomachs. Type-A blood types are suggested to go with low-intensity activities and meditation.
Is there any truth in the Blood Type Diet?
A 2013 study found nothing demonstrating any benefits from participating in a blood type diet. A 2014 study found that blood type diets helped in certain cardiometabolic risk factors (such as cholesterol or blood pressure) but believe that blood type was not a factor.
How did the Blood Type Diet come about?
The diet points out that we digest certain types of foods better than others. In essence, a proper blood type diet will help to improve digestion, maintain body weight, increase energy levels, while preventing disease.
Type O blood types are the original “ancestral” blood type of the earliest humans who were hunter-gatherers. Those early humans ate a diet high in animal protein. With the advent of farming and modernization in food production throughout the time periods, humans began to include more vegetarian, dairy diets. Type AB blood types evolved when people of types A and B blood began interacting.
Is there a CON to following this diet?
Well, if you're a vegan and you're Type-O, there might be an issue with the suggested "high protein" diet and vice-versa. What if you had high cholesterol or diabetes? How would you follow a high protein diet? You may want to consult with a certified nutritionist about this diet.
As with any diet, there's no definite proof that any of these results are typical. Make sure to consult a physician before starting any new diets or workout regimen.
Photo: APRIL 18: A researcher holds up a vial of blood at a Red Cross Blood Center April 18, 2005 in Seoul, South Korea. Many South Koreans believe that blood type has an affect on compatibility and love. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)