Can Blood Type Diet Help Treat Arthritis?

Why the Blood Type Diet helps treat Arthritis and relieve Pain

The blood type diet helps prevent or treat arthritis because it recommends suitable foods to help restore the immune system function and stop inflammation.

It also limits or restricts foods containing harmful lectins that trigger an immune response and destroy the joints. Accordingly, the diet can help  treat arthritis by recommending:

1- Food that can be properly processed by each blood type:

The diet proposes that specific blood types should avoid foods that cannot be properly metabolized by the body because the fats in these foods might get into the bloodstream.

Since this is not where the fat molecules belong, the body will consider them as foreign bodies and initiate an immune response.

Accordingly, the immune system sends white blood cells to attack the joints viruses. The joints then become inflamed and start to degenerate. By staying away from such foods, people decrease the chances of inflammation and lower their risk of arthritis.

For instance, blood type A and AB individuals have lower levels of an enzyme called Intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase (IAP) compared to other blood types.

IAP helps break down cholesterol and fats in the body, and because types A and AB have lower levels of IAP, they cannot break down the fats from meats as easily as other blood types can.

Blood type O and B individuals have a lower tolerance for grains compared to other blood types. This is because they cannot metabolize carbohydrates easily. Therefore, the unmetabolized carbohydrates end up being stored by the body as fat.

2-  Foods that do not contain harmful lectins:

Different blood types should avoid foods containing harmful lectins because they cause agglutination in the blood, which can trigger the autoimmune response dysfunction. Furthermore, the blood type diet advises certain blood types to eat foods with “medicinal” lectins that can boost the immune system.

For instance, blood types O and B should avoid the lectins in wheat to prevent an immune response. In contrast, blood types A and AB should stay away from the lectins in beans to prevent an immune response.

Various studies have examined the link between lectins, inflammation, and arthritis risk. The study, “Lectins, Agglutinins, and Their Roles in Autoimmune Reactivities,” conducted in 2015, found that lectins do, in fact, trigger an immune response and play a role in inflammatory diseases.

Results show that Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA), the lectin found in wheat, causes inflammation in the gut, which then spreads to the rest of the body as white blood cells move out of the gut to other areas of the body.

Therefore, if a person stops consuming wheat lectins, they can reduce the joint inflammation. However, wheat lectins posed a threat to all blood types, not just blood types O and B, as D’Adamo suggests. Thus, D’Adamo’s hypothesis is only partly true.

How the Blood Type Diet works for Arthritis

The blood type diet works by assigning specific foods for each blood type to restore immune system response and decrease inflammation.

Thus, the diet works by providing different blood types with foods that are suitable for them. This allows different blood types to have:

Foods that can be digested properly

The diet recommends that different blood types avoid foods that their bodies cannot process properly. If fats are not broken down, they may circulate in the bloodstream, prompting the body to initiate an immune response. This leads to inflammation everywhere, but especially around the joints, increasing an individual’s risk for arthritis.

Thus, blood types A and AB need to avoid consuming red meats because they have low amounts of the stomach enzyme IAP that helps digest fats. Instead, the diet recommends that types A and AB individuals eat vegetables such as kale and spinach because they have anti-inflammatory effects on the body.

Blood type O and B individuals need to stay away from wheat-based foods because their bodies cannot metabolize them properly, breaking them down into fats, which may initiate an immune response. Instead, the diet recommends that these blood types eat foods such as red meat that they can metabolize properly, reducing inflammation.

Foods that do not contain harmful lectins

The diet recommends that specific blood types should avoid consuming harmful lectins that are incompatible with the blood type antigens. That way, lectins will not agglutinate in the digestive tract and trigger the immune system to attack the joints, leading to arthritis.

For instance, blood type A and AB individuals need to stay away from the lectins in red meats because the lectins found in red meat cause agglutination and activate the immune system.

Meanwhile, blood type O and B individuals need to avoid wheat and wheat-based products because wheat lectins bind to receptors on white blood cells and trigger an immune response. This may lead to increased inflammation around the joints, leading to an increased risk for arthritis.

Alternatively, the blood type diet recommends that each blood type eat foods that contain “medicinal lectins” that improve the body’s utilization of different foods. Some foods, such as pineapples, also contain lectins with anti-inflammatory properties, reducing a person’s risk for arthritis.

Blood Type Diet foods for Arthritis

The blood type is not based on the amounts of macronutrients or calories your body consumes. Instead, it focuses on restricting food groups for each blood type to help maintain proper body functions and prevent and treat medical conditions.

The food types for each blood type are listed below:

- Blood Type O: can eat lean meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables, and fewer grains, beans, and dairy.

- Blood Type A: can eat more fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, and whole grains with little to no meat (vegetarian diet).

- Blood Type B: can eat green leafy vegetables, eggs, most meats (except chicken and pork), and low-fat dairy. They should avoid wheat, corn, lentils, tomatoes, peanuts, and sesame seeds.

- Blood Type AB: can eat seafood, tofu, dairy, beans, and grains. They should avoid kidney beans, corn, beef, and chicken.

Blood Type Diet for Arthritis: food by blood type

Each blood type can prevent arthritis if they eat specific foods that boost immunity and prevent inflammation. One can find a list of foods that help prevent joint inflammation for each blood type below:

Blood Type O

People who are blood type O can eat these foods because they do not contain lectins that are harmful to their blood type:

- Seaweed

- Red meat

- Oily cold-water fish

- Spinach

- Kale

- Elderberries, blueberries, and cherries 

- Green tea

Blood Type A

People who are blood type A can eat these foods because they do not contain lectins that are harmful to their blood type:

- Cultured Soy products

- Pineapple

- Olive oil

- Broccoli

- Onions

- Kale

- Spinach

- Elderberries, blueberries, and cherries

- Green tea

Blood Type B

People who are blood type B can eat these foods because they do not contain lectins that are harmful to their blood type:

- Red meat

- Cultured dairy products (yogurt and kefir)

- Broccoli

- Onions

- Pineapple

- Kale

- Spinach

- Elderberries, blueberries, and cherries

- Green tea

Blood Type AB

People who are blood type AB can eat these foods because they do not contain lectins that are harmful to their blood type:

- Soy protein like tofu

- Cultured dairy products (yogurt and kefir)

- Broccoli 

- Walnuts 

- Cauliflower

- Kale

- Spinach

- Elderberries, blueberries, and cherries

- Green tea

Blood Type Diet for Arthritis: Recommendations to follow

- Eat fresh and organic fruits and vegetables: fresh or organic fruits and vegetables have more nutrients. If people eat fruits and vegetables that have been sprayed with pesticides, the chemicals in the pesticides could cause the body to believe it is under attack and overwork the body’s immune system, eventually weakening it.

- Take certain supplements depending on your blood type: the diet restricts the consumption of meat and dairy for specific blood types. This may result in malnutrition, so some blood types must take nutritional supplements to ensure that they get the vitamins and minerals their body needs.

o Blood type O individuals need to take Vitamin C, B12, iron, and folic acid supplements.

o Blood type A individuals need to take Vitamin B, K, calcium, and licorice supplements.

o Blood type B individuals need to take magnesium, ginkgo, licorice, and lecithin supplements.

o Blood type AB individuals need to take Vitamin C, B12, and iron supplements.

- Exercise regularly: Peter D’Adamo recommends different kinds of exercise based on your blood type.

The different types of exercise for each blood type is listed below:

o Blood type O: People who are type O should engage in intense exercising activities like jogging or biking.

o Blood type A: People who are type A should focus on low-level activity and stress-relieving exercises like yoga or tai chi.

o Blood type B:  People who are type B should focus on moderate-level exercise and can include yoga or other mindfulness practices.

o Blood type AB: People with type AB blood can combine exercises from blood types A and B.

Blood Type Diet for Arthritis: What you should Avoid

All of the blood types should avoid:

- Processed meats: these meats contain high amounts of salt and preservatives that are not good for your body.

- Foods that are high in sugar: high sugar foods can increase blood sugar levels and cause weight gain.

- Simple carbohydrates: simple carbohydrates can cause weight gain because they are broken down and converted into fat.

- Drinking water with meals: do not drink water when you are eating because this can slow down digestion.

Foods to avoid by blood type

Food to avoid for Blood type O

These foods contain lectins that are harmful to type O individuals:

o Wheat

o Corn

o Navy beans

o Kidney beans

o White potatoes

Food to avoid for Blood type A

These foods contain lectins that are harmful to type A individuals:

o Red meat

o Lima beans

o Milk

o White potatoes

o Oranges

Food to avoid for Blood type B

These foods contain lectins that are harmful to type B individuals:

o Corn

o Chicken

o Buckwheat

o Lentils

o Peanuts 

Food to avoid for Blood type AB

These foods contain lectins that are harmful to type AB individuals:

o Chicken

o Corn

o Buckwheat

o Lima beans

o Kidney beans

The Blood Type Diet for Arthritis: precautions

The diet can be restrictive for some blood types, like type A and type O, so they have to be careful to receive the vitamins and minerals their body needs.

People with chronic health conditions such as diabetes should consult a medical professional or a dietician before starting a diet based on their blood type because the dietary recommendations for their blood type might not be good for them.

Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new diet or treatment.