Blood Type Diet - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

blizzak · 11-30-2003, 03:13 AM

Has anyone tried this diet? Site: http://www.dadamo.com/
My family has all the books(we are all type o's), and it has had a huge influence on our overall health/energy level/etc.

If you think about it, the diet makes sense, because the only real differences between people are blood type and genetics, and since the bloodstream is the energy transporter of the body, it would seem logical that each bloodtype would respond differently to certain things. Not to mention all the research done with thousands of patients and relating it to their bloodtype, which remained as one of the only constants.

I would highly recommend this diet to anyone wanting to make a major change in their lifestyle.

lordjeebus · 11-30-2003, 03:31 AM

I don't buy it.

I'd like to see these studies you refer to.

Bloodtype is determined by the presence or absence of agglutinogens, which should have nothing to do with metabolism. The only possibility I can think of is if they interact with glucose in the blood in some special way -- which seems doubtful to me.

There are lots of things that make people different besides bloodtype. It's just that bloodtype is easy to test for. You may as well base a diet on one's RBC or hemoglobin count.

Nevertheless, if it works for you that's great.

lordjeebus · 11-30-2003, 03:37 AM

Some information I found on google:

Quote:

What do the advocates say?
Dr. D’Adamo has spent years researching the physiological effects of substances called lectins. Lectins are proteins found in many commonly eaten foods, particularly the seeds of leguminous plants; they can be absorbed intact from the digestive tract into the bloodstream. According to Dr. D’Adamo, certain lectins are incompatible with certain blood types. This incompatibility allegedly causes the lectin to attract and clump red blood cells, a process known as agglutination. Dr. D’Adamo blames lectin-caused agglutination as the origin of many common health complaints.

Dr. D’Adamo has tested most common foods for blood-type reactions. He organized the results of this testing into food lists that allow people to avoid eating foods containing lectins that are incompatible with their blood type.

What do the critics say?
Some physicians and nutritionists argue that Dr. D’Adamo’s theory about lectins lacks solid scientific support. These critics point out that the research that has been done on lectins has been performed mostly in test tubes. Therefore, it is not yet known what, if any, physiological effects lectins have in humans. Furthermore, many food lectins are destroyed by cooking and/or digestive enzymes, so many critics argue that the number of lectins absorbed intact through the digestive system is minimal. Other critics point out that Dr. D’Adamo’s emphasis on the ABO blood-typing system is somewhat arbitrary. In a book review, Alan Gaby, MD, points out that the ABO system is only one of many different blood-typing methods, and to date, more than 30 unique markers have been identified on the surface of red blood cells. Consequently, if Dr. D’Adamo had based his diet on a different marker, his diet recommendations may have been very different.

Most critics believe the diet is associated with no real health hazards. However, critics caution that people with Type O blood may increase their risk of heart disease by adhering to Dr. D’Adamo’s Type O diet recommendations.

Although most critics concede that the Blood Type Diet produces weight loss in some people, they argue that this diet is merely a calorie-restricted diet. As with any other low calorie diet, weight loss is likely to occur.

blizzak · 11-30-2003, 03:43 AM

hmm what I meant by "what makes people different" was not a quantitative thing, such as RBC or hemoglobin count, because those things can change
yeah lectins seem to be the basis of his research, always hear my dad talking about them. Hopefully D'Adamo can keep going and get some solid evidence out there because this diet seems to really work for me.

lordjeebus · 11-30-2003, 03:51 AM

Here's what doesn't make sense to me:

The basic claim is that lectins in food interact with your agglutinins, causing your blood to clot if you eat food that's not right for you.

If this was the case, then people should react to the wrong kind of food as if they had received a transfusion of the wrong blood type -- very serious.

But D'Adamo seems to suggest that the main ramifications of eating the wrong kind of food are long term.

Considering how even a small agglutination of RBCs can clog a capillary and cause damage, I don't see how, if D'Adamo is right, we avoid the short-term consequences yet suffer from long-term ones.

It seems more likely to me that positive effects of this diet are due to calorie-restriction and placebo effect.

11-30-2003, 03:13 AM	#1 (permalink)
blizzak Crazy	Blood Type Diet Has anyone tried this diet? Site: http://www.dadamo.com/ My family has all the books(we are all type o's), and it has had a huge influence on our overall health/energy level/etc. If you think about it, the diet makes sense, because the only real differences between people are blood type and genetics, and since the bloodstream is the energy transporter of the body, it would seem logical that each bloodtype would respond differently to certain things. Not to mention all the research done with thousands of patients and relating it to their bloodtype, which remained as one of the only constants. I would highly recommend this diet to anyone wanting to make a major change in their lifestyle. __________________ Fueled by oxytocin!

11-30-2003, 03:43 AM	#4 (permalink)
blizzak Crazy	hmm what I meant by "what makes people different" was not a quantitative thing, such as RBC or hemoglobin count, because those things can change yeah lectins seem to be the basis of his research, always hear my dad talking about them. Hopefully D'Adamo can keep going and get some solid evidence out there because this diet seems to really work for me. __________________ Fueled by oxytocin!

11-30-2003, 03:31 AM	#2 (permalink)
lordjeebus ‚±‚Ìˆó˜U‚ª–Ú‚É“ü‚ç‚Ê‚© Location: College	I don't buy it. I'd like to see these studies you refer to. Bloodtype is determined by the presence or absence of agglutinogens, which should have nothing to do with metabolism. The only possibility I can think of is if they interact with glucose in the blood in some special way -- which seems doubtful to me. There are lots of things that make people different besides bloodtype. It's just that bloodtype is easy to test for. You may as well base a diet on one's RBC or hemoglobin count. Nevertheless, if it works for you that's great.

11-30-2003, 03:51 AM	#5 (permalink)
lordjeebus ‚±‚Ìˆó˜U‚ª–Ú‚É“ü‚ç‚Ê‚© Location: College	Here's what doesn't make sense to me: The basic claim is that lectins in food interact with your agglutinins, causing your blood to clot if you eat food that's not right for you. If this was the case, then people should react to the wrong kind of food as if they had received a transfusion of the wrong blood type -- very serious. But D'Adamo seems to suggest that the main ramifications of eating the wrong kind of food are long term. Considering how even a small agglutination of RBCs can clog a capillary and cause damage, I don't see how, if D'Adamo is right, we avoid the short-term consequences yet suffer from long-term ones. It seems more likely to me that positive effects of this diet are due to calorie-restriction and placebo effect.