D'adamo's blood-type diet

Anders W. Bonde

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I was just discussing Dr. D'adamo's notion of some diets being beneficial, others being detrimental, based on a person's blood type. I did a Google, but couldn't really find anything either in support of (other than D'adamo's own site, of course) or in opposition to this notion.

So, my question is, as I've not been able to find an existing thread here on the matter: Are D'amato's contentions supported or refuted by other reasearch?
 
Thanks, Benguin.

I was hoping someone could point to some actual scientific research or clinical trials directly on the matter, other than those pointed to by D'amado?
 
The knowledgebase of the Peter D'Adamo site contains 4 "scientific" references. 3 of them are reviews of his book, the third has nothng to do with his diet.

I conclude there is no evidence in support of the diet. The man has a book to sell.
 
Thanks, Prester John.

My assertion is in line with yours. To help others - could you point out the titles of the "knowledge base" topics you reffered to in your post?

Thanks.
 
Anders W. Bonde said:
Thanks, Benguin.

I was hoping someone could point to some actual scientific research or clinical trials directly on the matter, other than those pointed to by D'amado?
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I got into a dispute with a friend about this a couple of years ago and finally emailed d'Adamo at his web site to ask if there had been any controlled, double-blinded, peer-reviewed studies of his claims.

Would you believe I never heard back from him? :eek:

So I went out to a nutrition forum and asked around there. Turned out there hadn't been any, according to an RD (I forget what that stands for - Registered Dietician?) who said she checks the journals every week.

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Found this in the page that Kumar's other post links to.
the average age of death of people with Blood type A in the United States is only 61.6 years. Living significantly longer--by a full quarter of a century--are people with Blood type O, who achieve an average age of 86.7 years. People with Blood type AB survive to 69.5 years and with Blood type B to 78.2 years.
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I don't believe it.

Rolfe.
 
My Pilates instructor loves this diet and we discovered we have the same blood type (O-) and so we have the following dietary restrictions:

Red meat, but no poultry
No carbohydrates
Chili peppers, but not black pepper
No milk or milk products
Nothing pickled

Just from listening to her, it sounds like a crock to me. I would love to hear of some scientific studies, but I don't think the diet is popular enough (unlike Atkins) for many scientists to be doing them.
 
Lisa Simpson said:
My Pilates instructor loves this diet and we discovered we have the same blood type (O-) and so we have the following dietary restrictions:

Red meat, but no poultry
No carbohydrates
Chili peppers, but not black pepper
No milk or milk products
Nothing pickled

Just from listening to her, it sounds like a crock to me. I would love to hear of some scientific studies, but I don't think the diet is popular enough (unlike Atkins) for many scientists to be doing them.
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I am an O and have lost 35 lbs in about 3.5 months.

Oh yeah, I've been running and lifting as well.
 
Lisa Simpson said:
My Pilates instructor loves this diet and we discovered we have the same blood type (O-) and so we have the following dietary restrictions:

Red meat, but no poultry
No carbohydrates
Chili peppers, but not black pepper
No milk or milk products
Nothing pickled

Just from listening to her, it sounds like a crock to me. I would love to hear of some scientific studies, but I don't think the diet is popular enough (unlike Atkins) for many scientists to be doing them.
Click to expand...

The site I linked in my first post points out that most people are O and the 'O', diet is basically a lo-carb, like Atkins. It is not surprising you should loose weight on it, there's just no evidence of link between the diet, weight and blood type.

And no-one can seem to find a scientific study to support or refute the notion, I suspect it is not deemed worthy of a study, which is sort of a shame.
 
Blood Type Diet

I bought the book a couple of years ago and I was very skeptical. However, I have been loosely following the diet and whether or not I still have reservations about it, it still is a sensible diet to follow. Everything on the list seems to suit my palate and I think that there might be at least a little bit of truth in it. I hope it's true about Type O's tending to live longer because that's my blood type. The only thing I don't like about my particular diet (for Type O's) is the "no dairy products" restriction. I need the additional calcium because of my age and I really don't like taking calcium in supplement form and I don't really think I have a problem with dairy products. I do seem to do well with meat. I'm not sure about avoiding wheat products either but I've been keeping that to a minimum. I think the part about eating certain foods to aid metabolism makes sense.
 
What about 'O' minus? Are they meant/made up for ' JUST TO GIVE' ? Do other types, just can only suck their blood but can't give in exchange? Do the world need them badly? Are their some differant chracteristics of 'O' minus blood group people?:)

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You may as well ask if there are different dietary requirements for people with different hair or eye colour Kumar.

It's pure speculation without evidence.
 
What about 'O' minus? Are they meant/made up for ' JUST TO GIVE' ? Do other types, just can only suck their blood but can't give in exchange? Do the world need them badly? Are their some differant chracteristics of 'O' minus blood group people?
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Nice and ambiguous Kumar. No there is no personality difference between people of the different blood groups. I suggest you go read a book before you start off on another blind trail.


As to Anders reuqest, i can't seem to access the knowledge database from here now. Strange.
 
Benguin, PJ,

Thanks. Can there be any other scientifically accepted aspect which can differanciate few groups of people? Can there be constitutional, heriditory/genetic, pH basis or otherwise which can differanciate people in few groups?
 
At the end of each blood type section of the book, there are examples of noted personalities that possess certain personality traits. I think Reagan was one of the examples. The book also recommends dietary supplements for each blood type and recommendations for exercise. The advice about foods that aid metabolism and foods that stimulate the thyroid function is of great interest to me personally. I'm a Type O. I seem to lose weight when I consciously include a lot of these foods in my diet.
 
Kumar said:
Benguin, PJ,

Thanks. Can there be any other scientifically accepted aspect which can differanciate few groups of people? Can there be constitutional, heriditory/genetic, pH basis or otherwise which can differanciate people in few groups?
Click to expand...

there are lots of ways to can differentiate groups of people, hair colour, eye colour, skin colour. What is the difference between constitutional and genetic ? (in your own words),
 
The idea that a "good" food is one associated with weight loss is a bit back to front when you think about it. Not really geared for maximum survival value.

If I get this a bit wrong, somebody correct me. All cells have antigens on the surface. One doesn't raise antibodies to one's own antigens (except in cases of autoimmune disease which is a different matter, sort of). However, one does raise antibodies to antigens not perceived as "self". There are squillions of self antigens in all of us. The thing that makes the AB blood groups unusual is simply that these two antigens also occur on the surface of common gut bacteria. People who have the antigens as self don't raise antibody to the antigen they have, but those who don't have the antigens will already be primed to see them as "non-self" because they have already met the gut bacteria.

Which has the serious practical disadvantage of meaning that if someone who doesn't have the antigens is given a transfusion of blood cells with the antigens, their own immune system will destroy the transfused cells, first go out of the box. This was pretty much the main problem which had to be sorted out before routine blood transfusion could be practical. (Other antigen systems matter less because a first transfusion won't be attacked as the immune system isn't primed - the first transfusion in these cases just primes the system.) We'd never even have noticed these groups if it wasn't that we wanted to transfuse blood.

So this is the only reason the AB blood groups became widely understood and frequently tested for. But they're only a couple of antigens out of the squillions of things that make everybody's body unique, and there's no reason to suspect there's anything else special about them. They're no great influence in metabolism or anything like that, and there's no reason to use these antigen types to tailor a diet. They don't even seem to be associated with AIHA (possibly because the match to the bacterial mimic is too perfect).

It's amazing how much rubbish and frank lies some people get away with spouting. And how often people will latch on to coincidental observations and maintain they validate them. Lies? Well, I said I flat don't believe that stuff about life-span I quoted above from that blood-group page, and I don't expect to be proved wrong any time soon. But not-true never stopped an alternative medicine type from making a statement yet in my experience.

Rolfe.
 
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