The ‘Eat Right For Your Type’ diet is based on the idea that a person’s blood type (A, B, AB, or O) is an important factor in determining what kind of nutrients an individual needs, and recommends different dietary intake for each of these blood types.

Naturopath Peter J D’Adamo, who came up with this idea, asserts that carbohydrate binding proteins in food, called lectins, react differently with each ABO blood type.

In this diet program, Type A blood stands for ‘Agrarian’, believing that this blood type dates from the dawn of agriculture.  Type As are therefore advised to eat something resembling a vegetarian diet, avoiding red meat.

D’Adamo labels Type B individuals as the ‘Nomads’, and states that these are the only people who do well with dairy products.

Type O is the ‘Hunter’ group, so D’Adamo recommends a higher protein diet for these people.

AB blood types are called the ‘Enigma’ group, falling somewhere between the As and the Bs for dietary recommendations.

So, is there scientific evidence to support these claims?  In short, the answer is no.  No to the point where the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has spoken out specifically against this diet.  In fact, biochemical research has established that lectins specific to ABO blood types are not even found in most foods.   There are also no published clinical trials to substantiate D’Adamo’s claims.

Another one bites the dust.

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