# Blood type **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [September 6, 2013, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167 "2013-09-06T11:17:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167/21 "2013-09-13T18:27:36Z")
Plus, his claims about the cause do not fit with facts about the history of the A-B-O origins. ---
**Author:** ![AvMD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8c91f0/32.png) [@AvMD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AvMD)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167/22 "2013-09-13T19:41:03Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > There is no scientific research that supports this hypothesis. It’s poorly collected guesswork and anecdotes. Actual data doesn’t support the idea of the Blood Type Diet. Who’s scientific research? > **[(n=1) by Peter D'Adamo » Gnomic Advice](http://n-equals-one.com/blogs/2013/06/03/gnomic-advice/)** ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167/23 "2013-09-13T19:47:06Z")
> [@AvMD](#): > > Who’s scientific research? > > [(n=1) by Peter D'Adamo » Gnomic Advice](http://n-equals-one.com/blogs/2013/06/03/gnomic-advice/) That’s the same moron that came up with the original drivel. Not exactly confirming. How about a few studies that were published in mainstream journals? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167/24 "2013-09-13T20:18:00Z")
> [@AvMD](#): > > Who’s scientific research? Someone we can trust to not make stuff up. ---
**Author:** ![Whitney\_Harper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@Whitney\_Harper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whitney_Harper)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167/25 "2013-09-13T20:36:44Z")
I think there may be some validity to eating for your blood type. My suggestion would be if a person has tried other ways to gain energy, etc., and nothing else has worked, why not try eating for your blood type? It sounds reasonable to me. I plan to try it. ---
**Author:** ![AvMD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8c91f0/32.png) [@AvMD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AvMD)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167/26 "2013-09-13T20:42:52Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Someone we can trust to not make stuff up. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22672382](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22672382) CONCLUSIONS: Our novel finding indicates that the ABO blood group is one of the genetically determined host factors modulating the composition of the human intestinal microbiota, thus enabling new applications in the field of personalized nutrition and medicine. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167/27 "2013-09-13T21:25:29Z")
> [@AvMD](#): > > [Association between the ABO blood group and the human intestinal microbiota composition - PubMed](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22672382) > > CONCLUSIONS: > Our novel finding indicates that the ABO blood group is one of the genetically determined host factors modulating the composition of the human intestinal microbiota, thus enabling new applications in the field of personalized nutrition and medicine. [I read through this](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3485159/) and found nothing that justifies that kind of conclusion. Certainly not to the point of treating disease with diet. Pretty small study. Only 64 Finnish subjects. What is needed is a study that directly tests this diet. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167/28 "2013-09-13T22:00:01Z")
[There’s another thread on this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=702143), in which I posted the following > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I checked Google Scholar for work by Peter J. D’Adamo. > > There was one article in a peer-reviewed journal. That was from 2001 and was in _Alternative Medicine Review: a Journal of Clinical Therapeutic_. That’s not much of a body of work to base a whole discipline on. > > And the problem about checking the science is that it brings up opposing views just as easily. Like [Blood type diets lack supporting evidence: a systematic review](http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/98/1/99). Am J Clin Nutr July 2013 vol. 98 no. 1 99-104 > > > [@](#): > > > > Abstract > > > > Background: Diets that are based on the ABO blood group system have been promoted over the past decade and claim to improve health and decrease risk of disease. To our knowledge, the evidence to support the effectiveness of blood type diets has not previously been assessed in the scientific literature. > > > > Objective: In this current systematic review, published studies that presented data related to blood type diets were identified and critically appraised by using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. > > > > Design: A systematic search was performed to answer the following question: In humans grouped according to blood type, does adherence to a specific diet improve health and/or decrease risk of disease compared with nonadherence to the diet? The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and Embase were systematically searched by using sensitive search strategies. > > > > Results: Sixteen articles were identified from a total of 1415 screened references, with only one article that was considered eligible according to the selection criteria. The identified article studied the variation between LDL-cholesterol responses of different MNS blood types to a low-fat diet. However, the study did not directly answer the current question. No studies that showed the health effects of ABO blood type diets were identified. > > > > Conclusions: No evidence currently exists to validate the purported health benefits of blood type diets. To validate these claims, studies are required that compare the health outcomes between participants adhering to a particular blood type diet (experimental group) and participants continuing a standard diet (control group) within a particular blood type population. Normally, “science writings” are articles published in peer-reviewed publications. D’Adamo seems to publish outside normal scientific channels. That should be a major red flag for anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167/29 "2013-09-14T02:19:38Z")
> [@sdturf](#): > > I have been looking at various diets like this for many years. I do think there is some merit in this one. With a few questions, I can generally determine someone’s blood type, well between blood type O and A anyway. The first one is “do you often get acid indigestion?” If so, it is highly likely they are blood type O, even though blood type A’s can sometimes suffer it. When type A’s suffer it, it is usually caused by incomplete food digestion so taking, amazingly, taking additional acid (like vinegar) often helps. When blood type O’s get it, it is usually from the body producing too much acid. often as a result of eating too much fat, and using vinegar is the last thing they want to do. > > But, a valuable fact I learned and have informally verified over the last 10 years is the body’s response to being a vegetarian. Blood type A’s can be strict vegetarians, blood type O’s cannot (in general, of course). When you see a pale, low-energy hippie working in a health food store it is highly likely they are a blood type O trying to be a vegetarian. Perhaps there is some mix of supplements that a blood type O can take (such as a lot of B-12 and MSM or other type of sulfur) that would allow them to be a vegetarian, but in general, once a blood type O uses up his stores of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, or whatever from the meat he formerly ate, his health degrades. I doubt this hit-and-run poster will be back, but what the heck… Since you place so much stock in anecdotes as “proof”, I’m a type O who has been a vegetarian for over 2 decades (with no cheating), I rarely take supplements other than calcium, and I don’t get acid indigestion. 😃 Oh, and I do cook with vinegar! ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167/30 "2013-09-15T02:39:39Z")
> [@Whitney\_Harper](#): > > I think there may be some validity to eating for your blood type. You may think that, but there’s no evidence to support your thought. What gives you the idea that there’s anything behind this diet book? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167/31 "2013-09-15T12:58:16Z")
MODERATOR COMMENT: Since there was already a thread about this column, I’ve merged the two. My apologies for not getting to this sooner, I suspect that there is some confusion about the interspercing, but it’s still better to have all comments on the same topic, in the same thread. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167/32 "2013-09-15T16:04:08Z")
Meanwhile, the part in the column about in Japan “some people organize company work teams, segregate school classrooms, and even choose their dream date by blood type. And if you get lucky on that date, not to worry — in Japan, vending machines sell condoms by blood type too.” In Bangkok, I’ve seen some massage parlors/brothels that cater to a largely Japanese-businessman clientele list the blood type of each of their girls. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167/33 "2013-09-15T16:23:59Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > MODERATOR COMMENT: > Since there was already a thread about this column, I’ve merged the two. My apologies for not getting to this sooner, I suspect that there is some confusion about the interspercing, but it’s still better to have all comments on the same topic, in the same thread. I sure hope the two threads are compatible. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167/34 "2013-09-15T16:57:35Z")
> [@Whitney\_Harper](#): > > . . . why not try eating for your blood type? It sounds reasonable to me. I plan to try it. Sure, why not? And if eating to your blood type doesn’t work, try the other two. It doesn’t sound as if any of them are harmful. > [@AvMD](#): > > Who’s scientific research? . . . Nitpick: whose. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167/35 "2013-09-15T19:03:09Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > I sure hope the two threads are compatible. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167/36 "2013-09-15T19:13:00Z")
> [@ERFYT](#): > > Your comments about Dr.DaDamo and The Blood Type Diet are uninformed and downright false. > > :smack: > > Please go to his website and click on the science link. If you really read it, I think you’ll change your mind. I did. The “science” at his website is all initiated by naturapathic people (they are NOT doctors in any way) They have no double-blind, reproducible studies to prove their hypotheses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-type/668167.md?page=1)