Blood Type Diet

The Blood Type Diet really has much to do with Celiac Disease. After having gotten into it, I discovered that it was a key to improving upon my Celiac condition, in a way that Macrobiotics, Vegetarianism and my several years on a strict Kosher diet had a positive effect on me. A friend, a fellow CEPA member that I have known for some time, introduced me to the Blood Type Diet by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo around 2003 and I have been able to improve my overall condition as a Celiac to a great degree ever since that time.

What is the Blood Type Diet?

It was begun by a Dr. D'Adamo, but actually was pioneered by his father before him. However, to be exact, as Dr. D'Adamo writes in his excellent book, Eat Right 4 Your Type, Complete Blood Type Encyclopedia," "The idea that blood circulated throughout the body was first proposed in 1628 by Englishman William Harvey, who published his theories in his famous book 'On the the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals'. Harvey was a student of Hieronymus Fabricus, an esteemed scientist and surgeon at the University of Padua in Italy." Dr. D'Adamo goes on to explain the story behind his Blood Type Diet in much detail. He discusses the history of man in general and how each group is quite different from the other. He writes, under the heading, "Blood Groups and Their Human Distributions, for instance, in part," (1) the Asiatic (Mongolian) group posseses "high frequencies of group B, and little if any of the genes for group A2 and Rh-negative, and (2) the American Indian group possesses "little or no group A and probably no B or Rh-negative. Very high rates of group O. and then (3) "the Australoid group possesses "high incidence of group A1, but not A2 or Rh-negative; high incidence of the group N gene." He tries to show how each one of us would do much better healthwise if we would eat according to our blood type whether it is A, B, AB, or O. Under the same heading, he begins by telling us that, "The first scientific study of blood group distribution was first attempted by Ludwik and Hanka Hirschfeld, a Polish husband and wife team of immunologists, during World War I." He writes about several very important persons in the long line of people who were responsible for bringing the blood group discoveries where they are today notwithstanding his father, James D'Adamo, N.D. who "was the first to advance the theory that the ABO blood groups could be employed as a method of optimizing diet." His father discivered, for instance, that "... blood group A seemed to do poorly on high-protein diets consisting of large amounts of meat, but did well on vegetable proteins such as soy and tofu." ... "On the other hand, group O patients tended to thrive on high-protein diets, and they often stated that high-intensity activities, such as jogging and aerobics, energized them and improved their moods." In short, As are basically vegetarian types and Os are basically meat eaters and Bs and ABs are somewhere off to the side and inbetween, respectively. See Food: Good For All Celiacs (Non-Secretors) Of All Blood Types for a pretty complete list of the foods that are Benificial, or at least Neutral, according to Dr. D'Adamo's book, which I sorted out for readers of this web site.

Where do Celiacs fit in?

Well, although there are basically four blood types, they are each divided into two sub type groups, Secretors and Non-Secretors. Most Non-Secretors are very much like Celiacs and so whatever is basically good for a Non-Secretor of any blood type is also good for a Celiac of that blood type. Dr. D'Adamo writes about Celiacs, in part, thusly, "Celiac Disease-- Also known as celiac sprue; an immune reaction to gliadin, a protein found in wheat, rye, oats, and barley." He then shows a chart that points out that Non-Secretors in general have a much higher incidence of Celiac that all the regular four blood types. He describes the (main) symptoms as "chronic diarrhea, weight loss, iron deficiency and general nutrient malabsorption." Most of us are familiar with that much, but then he goes on to say under the heading, Blood Group Connections on page 223 of his book, "There is a strong association between being a non-secretor and having celiac disease. ... There is some evidence that the improvement in celiac among non-secretors may be linked to the health of their Lewis (a) blood type antigen." He continues to explain the relationship between Celiac and Non-Secretors, going into "the lectin connection," and describes therapies for each Non-Secretor (Celiac) of each blood type.

Not everyone agrees with Dr. D'Adamo's view of how to maintain a healthy mind and body, and I have encountered persons who think he's a quack, but I am convinced that he holds the key to individual healing and will use his criteria throughout this web site as it has to do with Celiac Disease. If, however, you disagree with my approach, then feel free to either go elsewhere, or disregard the blood type suggestions and check out whatever else has primarily to do with Celiac, or Kosher food. I suggest that you visit the doctor's web site and read more about how he deals with health through blood types. It's fascinating to say the least.

Again, see Food: Good For All Celiacs (Non-Secretors) Of All Blood Types for a pretty complete list of the foods that are Benificial, or at least Neutral, according to Dr. D'Adamo's book, which I sorted out for readers of this web site.

If you can contact me at , or by using the form to "contact me" for additional information on the above.

Thank you

Sid Karp: Editor & Publisher