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Dieting

AN UNBIASED, EVIDENCE-BASED REVIEW OF THE BLOOD TYPE DIET

Although many people find positive results by following the blood type group, it may have nothing to do with one’s blood group. Besides, studies supporting the claims that you need to eat according to your blood group are underwhelming at the moment.

The blood type diet is an eating pattern that has been famous for about 25 years, following its introduction in 1996. Admittedly, many people have found that this diet helps them maintain good health, probably because it excludes junk foods and highly processed picks. Besides, since it promotes healthy eating patterns such as plant-based foods or lean proteins, it may be no wonder that it works well to many people’s advantage. Nonetheless, the studies that support the claims that one only needs to eat according to his blood group are limited at the moment. Still, you may want to know what the blood type diet is and what it entails. Keep peering into this article to have these questions answered.

Understanding the blood type diet

The blood type diet, also called the blood group diet, is an eating pattern introduced by Dr. Peter D’Anamo, a physician, in 1996. Over the 25 years of this diet’s popularity, many people have adopted it. According to this eating pattern, you need to eat according to your ABO blood group. As such, the antigen that’s most abundant in your system indicates the genetic makeup of the ancestors whose lineage you thrived from. This very antigen then informs what you need to eat to promote your health and prevent agglutination of red blood cells, which the theory purports to be dangerous.

In 1996, Dr. Peter introduced his book entitled Eat Right 4 Your Type. The book performed well in the market, became a bestseller, and generated substantial cash when he sold millions of copies. Still, Eat Right 4 Your Type is popular, and many people strictly observe its theory of basing one’s diet on his blood group. In fact, millions have sworn by this book, claiming that they have had positive results by following the diet. Still, you may want to know what foods the blood group diet suggests for specific blood types. The next section addresses this concern.

The blood group/type diet: what it looks like

According to Dr. Peter, your diet should strictly revolve around the foods recommended for your blood group. Below is the breakdown of the 4 blood groups and the corresponding food types, as suggested by the blood type diet.

The blood group diet comprises healthy foods

The breakdown above shows that the blood group diet basically comprises healthy foods. For instance, type A is more or less like the vegetarian diet and consists of healthy vegetables and fruits. There are more than overwhelming studies that prove that such a diet is a great booster for health, primarily because it is rich in antioxidants and other health-promoting compounds. Besides, type O is more like the today’s paleo diet because it comprises high-profile protein-rich foods. This, too, is backed by studies that recommend it to boost muscle density, bone structure, and the body’s mineral count.

The blood group diet discourages junk foods and highly processed picks

Modern studies agree that focusing on junk foods and highly processed picks is a perfect way of harming your health. This is because such foods are often laden with artificial flavors, additives, seasonings, and colors, all of which add more harm than help to health. Thankfully, the blood group diet does not include such foods in its recommendations, meaning that they are technically a no-no. This explains why any of the four eating patterns in the blood group diet may work, resulting in good health.

Studies supporting the blood group diet theory are underwhelming

Although the blood group diet may have worked well for many, helping them improve their health, studies backing up the theory behind this eating pattern are underwhelming. Of course, several studies have explored blood types and their risks to certain diseases, but none has found a linkage to diet. For example, while it is true that type A people are more predisposed to heart disease, there is no evidence that that has to do with what they eat or don’t eat.

Furthermore, a study that lasted one year observed more than 1,400 male youngsters who were taking the type A diet. At the end of the study, all the participants recorded improved health, and this was not limited to people with blood group A. Clearly, then, the positive results observed by following the blood group diet are not necessarily due to one’s blood type but the healthy nature of the food picks in the categories in this diet.

Conclusion

The blood group diet has been popularized for producing good results and improving people’s health over the last 25 years. This eating pattern was introduced by Dr. Peter D’Anamo and emphasizes eating based on your blood antigen group. Although it produces results, studies that support its theory are underwhelming. Besides, the diet may work, not because it sticks to antigen factors, but because it observes healthy eating patterns.

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