The Blood Type Diet: Are There Any Real Benefits?

By: Jillian Levy, CHHC
December 4, 2017

The most popular book detailing the blood type diet, “Eat Right for Your Type,” is a New York Times best-seller that has sold more than 7 million copies worldwide since its publication in 1996. Dr. Peter D’Adamo, creator of the blood type diet, has since released several follow-up books with new recommendations and additions, including “Live Right for Your Type” and the 20th anniversary revised edition of “Eat Right for Your Type.”

Given its popularity, you’re probably wondering if there’s any evidence that the blood type diet is actually beneficial. Even though certain personalized diets can be very effective for improving health markers — for example, those that help manage food allergies or conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes — there isn’t much convincing evidence supporting the use of blood type diets. In fact, a 2013 systematic review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition stated, “No evidence currently exists to validate the purported health benefits of blood type diets.” (1)

What type of “personalized diet” might be a better alternative to the blood type diet?

A personalized diet is a way of eating that is based on genetics, unique reactions to different types of foods and individual preferences. A personalized diet can help give you a better idea of what types of foods you should eat and what types to avoid. Some research has shown that a group of people can eat the same exact foods, in the same quantities, but experience huge variations in terms of their physiological responses. So while adjusting your diet to your genetics and lifestyle can be a great idea, this doesn’t mean your diet needs to be based on your blood type.

What Is a Blood Type Diet?

A blood type diet is one that “makes health and nutrition recommendations based on your unique genetic individuality.” (2) Proponents of the blood type diet believe that a person’s blood type is an important tool for understanding how they will react to various types of food, habits and stressors.

A blood type diet operates on the premise that people with different blood types (O, A, B, AB) should eat corresponding foods and develop other lifestyle habits that are most suitable to their specific genetic makeups. Due to the variability in a person’s “chemistry,” a person’s blood type is said to determine which types of foods he or she will be able to digest best — for example, animal proteins or fruits — as well as which types they will most likely struggle with.

The Different Blood Types

According to the creators of the blood type diet, people’s susceptibility to certain illnesses and medical conditions are directly related to the type of blood they were born with. Because blood type varies from person to person, all people do not have the same basic nutritional needs, even if they are related or have very similar lifestyles.

- There are four human blood types: A, B, AB and O.O is the most common blood type. About 44 percent of people living in the U.S. have type O blood.

- About 42 percent of people living in the United States have type A blood.

- About 10 percent of people living in the U.S. have type B blood.

- AB is the least common blood type. Only about 4 percent of people living in the U.S. have type AB blood.

Blood types - Dr. Axe

Blood types are distinguished by antigens that are produced by the immune defense that appear on the surface of red blood cells. (3) If you have the A antigen, you have type A blood, and if you have the B antigen, then you have B blood. If you aren’t sure of your blood type, you can determine which you are by performing a blood type test at home or having one performed at your doctor’s office or lab. However, once you read on you may determine that knowing your blood type isn’t actually necessary or very useful when it comes to making dietary improvements (although you’ll need to know before a blood transfusion and during pregnancy).