The blood type diet is based on the assumption that people can tolerate different foods depending on their blood type. The idea sounds interesting – but is there any scientific evidence that the blood type diet works?
In the 1990s, the American naturopath Peter J. D’Adamo invented the blood type diet. It is based on the assumption that our blood group is decisive for which foods we tolerate better and which less well. How can this work?
The four blood groups 0, A, B and AB differ in that different antigens are found on the red blood cells. According to D’Adamo, certain proteins from food, the lectins, couple to different antigens, causing the blood to “clump”. This increases the risk of many diseases. So the blood type diet means that you avoid foods whose lectins bind to the antigens in your blood. This should make you healthier and slimmer.
Blood group diet: which foods for which blood group?
According to the blood type diet, you tolerate the foods best that your ancestors ate when the blood type was created. This results in this list according to the blood group diet:
Blood type 0: According to D’Adamo, this blood type originated in the Stone Age when people lived as hunters and gatherers. Accordingly, you should eat a lot of red meat and fish, as well as a lot of fruit and vegetables. On the other hand, you should avoid cereals, legumes and dairy products. This diet is similar to a high-protein, low-carb Paleo diet.
Blood type A: This blood type is said to have emerged when people settled down and began to grow crops and other crops. That means you eat vegan for the most part, fish is also allowed every now and then.
Blood group B: Blood group B is said to have originated with the nomadic peoples of Asia. Accordingly, meat, dairy products, fruit and vegetables are on your menu.
Blood group AB: Your diet corresponds to a balanced mixed diet.
The classifications according to D’Adamo are in some cases much more precise, for example one blood group allows one type of fish and another allows that type of fish.
Does the blood group diet work? The state of research
There is scientific evidence that suggests a concept like the blood type diet might make sense:
A 2012 study came to the conclusion that the risk of developing certain diseases depends on blood type.
Nine years earlier, a review found that the way your body absorbs and processes nutrients is linked to your genes.
Is this evidence that the blood type diet works? No – neither publication shows that there is a connection between your diet and your health based on your blood type.
In fact, there is no evidence that the blood type diet works. In a systematic review study in 2013, scientists from the Belgian Red Cross looked for sources that prove that the diet works. You haven’t found a single meaningful study. Your review also prompted the German Society for Nutrition (DGE) to write in a press release that the blood group diet lacks any scientific basis. The University of Toronto even published a study in 2014 concluding that there is no connection between your health and your diet that depends on your blood type.
According to the current state of research, his theory of how the blood groups came about is also wrong. In 2012, scientists analyzed the genomes of several primate species and concluded that blood types have existed for millions of years.
Blood Type Diet: Interesting, but not recommended
You can probably lose weight if you follow the blood group diet: depending on your blood group, the selection of foods you can eat is very limited. This means that you will find it difficult to integrate the blood type diet into everyday life and you will probably eat an unbalanced diet. Therefore, experts advise against using the blood group diet, regardless of the scientific situation. If you eat a balanced diet and mainly eat seasonal vegetables and fruit, you will get all the nutrients your body needs.
