Blood Group Diet

The blood type diet is a diet advocated by Peter D’Adamo, a naturopathic physician, and outlined in his book Eat Right 4 Your Type. D’Adamo’s theory is that ABO blood type is the most important factor in determining a healthy diet.

D’Adamo’s premise is that human blood type is key to the body’s ability to differentiate self from non-self. Lectins in foods, he asserts, react differently with each ABO blood type and to a lesser extent with an individual’s secretor status. Throughout his books he cites the works of biochemists and glycobiologists who have researched blood groups, claiming or implying that their research supports this theory. In his book, Eat Right 4 Your Type, “Lectins: The Diet Connection”, and in following chapters, lectins which interact with the different ABO type antigens are described as incompatible and harmful, therefore the selection of different foods for A, AB, B, and O types to minimize reactions with these lectins.

The consensus among dietitians, physicians, and scientists is that the theory is unsupported by scientific evidence.