Vegetarian Journal May/June 1999
Nutrition Hotline
by Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D.
Our advise? Stick with a varied, whole foods-based
vegetarian diet regardless of your blood type.
QUESTION: Have you heard about the book which pushes blood types
as determining whether somebody should be vegetarian or not? C.S., MD
ANSWER: The idea of choosing foods based on your blood type was
popularized by Peter J. D'Adamo, ND, in his book, Eat Right For Your
Type (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1996). D'Adamo, a naturopath, proposes that
those who have blood type A should be vegetarian, while those with blood
type O must eat meat and eliminate wheat and some other grains. He says
that following the correct diet for your blood type will help you maintain
optimal health and weight, avoid many infections, and fight back against
life-threatening illnesses. Is there any truth to his claims?
While D'Adamo spends more than 350 pages explaining the minute details
of the foods, supplements, medications, and exercise regimens which should
be followed by people with each blood type, he fails to scientifically
document the effectiveness of his recommendations. Many of the claims which
he makes are not backed up by published research. For example, depending
on your blood type, you are presented with detailed lists of foods which
are highly beneficial, neutral, or to be avoided. How were these lists
generated? Has any research been published showing adverse health effects
from use of foods which should be avoided? No studies are presented which
support what appear to be the author's speculations.
Numerous studies have shown that vegetarians live longer than non-vegetarians
and have a lower risk of a number of chronic diseases. These studies are
likely to be based on people from all blood type groups. It certainly seems
that a vegetarian diet has benefits for those studied, regardless of their
blood type. Similarly, studies like those of Dean Ornish appear to demonstrate
the beneficial effect of a vegetarian diet and other lifestyle changes
on a number of individuals, and not just those of a certain blood type.
Eat Right For Your Type should not be used as the basis for dietary
change. Statements like "I could never be a vegetarian, I'm type O" are
not based on scientific evidence and may even lead people to avoid making
dietary changes which could benefit both their health and the health of
our planet. Our advice? Stick with a varied, whole foods-based vegetarian
diet regardless of your blood type.
Excerpts from the May/June Issue
The Vegetarian Journal published here is not the complete issue,
but these are excerpts from the published magazine. Anyone wanting to see
everything should subscribe to the magazine.
This article was converted to HTML by Jeanie
Freeman
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