For the majority of us, planning and consuming a balanced diet daily can be a difficult and time-consuming task. But what if there is an already-developed health plan that is personalised just by your blood type? 

Dr. Peter. D’Adamo, a naturopathic physician, introduced the blood type diet in his first book, Eat Right 4 Your Type. It suggests food you should eat and what to avoid, according to your blood type. As you know, there are four major blood types based on the presence or absence of two antigens, antigen A and antigen B, on the surface of your red blood cells.

The 4 major blood types are:

• Type A- known as Agrarian, contains antigen A
• Type B- known as Nomadic, contains antigen B
• Type AB- known as Enigma, contains both antigens A and B
• Type O-known as Hunter, contains neither of the antigens

In addition to this, the blood type is further categorised according to the presence or absence of a protein called Rh factor found on the surface of your red blood cells. According to this, there are 8 blood types A positive, A negative, B positive, B negative, AB positive, AB negative, O positive, O negative. However, the blood type diet includes diets for only the four major blood groups; A, B, AB and O.

Dr. D’Adamo assigned different types of food, or in other words, a specific diet, for each blood group based on the time each group was believed to have been identified. The theory behind this is that we should eat foods common in the human diet at the time our specific blood group evolved into being.

According to Dr. D’Adamo’s study, the Type O blood group is said to be the ancestral blood group, which was the hunter and gatherers. Hence, this group consumed a high amount of animal protein and low carbs. Therefore, it’s suggested that the type O blood group, which is also the world’s most common blood type, should consume a diet with high protein which includes meat, fish, vegetables, and fruits, and they should avoid wheat, grains, corn, caffeine, alcohol and dairy products. 

Pictured: O group diet 

Type A blood group, is said to have evolved when humans began to farm and had direct access to a vegetarian diet. Therefore, as suggested by Dr. D’ Adamo, the type A group should eat a plant-based diet, which includes vegetables, fruits, tofu, whole grains and also seafood. This group should avoid meat.

Pictured: A group diet 

Type B blood group has evolved from Nomadic tribes, hence they consumed a lot of dairy products in the past. Hence, it’s suggested that the type B group should eat a diverse diet consisting of mainly eggs,  certain meat, dairy products and also fruits, grains, and green vegetables. Foods to be avoided include corn, wheat, peanuts, tomatoes and sesame seeds.

Pictured: B group diet 

Type AB blood group, a rare blood type, is said to have evolved from the mixing of blood group A and blood group B. Therefore their suggestion was an intermediate between A group and B group diets. Accordingly, they should eat a high protein diet including soyfoods, fish, vegetables, fruits and certain meat. Chicken, corn, bananas and also caffeine and alcohol should be avoided by this group.

Pictured: AB group diet 

But does blood type diet really matter?

Dr. Peter. D’Adamo has conducted thorough research for over 20 years, on the connections between blood type, food and diseases. He published Eat Right 4 Your Type, which became a New York Times bestseller, bringing worldwide recognition. This book, explains the blood type diet suggesting specific diets for the major blood types. According to Dr. D’Adamo, if you follow the blood type diet, it would not only increase your overall health benefits but also decrease the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases.

But the question is, does it actually work?

There is no scientific evidence backing it up and therefore, experts have criticized its concept. Most people say it is a nutrition myth to get people to eat a healthy diet as all four diets emphasised by Dr. D’Adamo are healthy whole foods and in addition, it includes exercising too. 

Hence, even without scientific research, many people still follow the blood type diet all over the world today, and some claim to have gotten health benefits by following the blood type diet. 

However, solely depending on the blood type diet could be risky for some people. For example, the type O blood group was suggested to eat a high animal protein diet. This could lead to various health issues such as heart disease, strokes and osteoporosis. Your blood type alone doesn’t determine your overall health. it’s It is affected by factors such as gender, age, genetic factors, etc. 

A specific diet may work for some, but it might not work the same for everyone as different diets work for different people and if you want to develop a nutrition plan that is made just for you, it is always better to do so under the advice of a healthcare professional.