'Blood type' diet debunked
The idea that your nutritional needs vary depending on your blood type has been shot down by a recent study from the University of Toronto.
Researchers found that the theory behind the blood type diet, which was popularized by the book "Eat Right for Your Type" by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo, is not sound.
"Based on the data of 1,455 study participants, we found no evidence to support the 'blood-type' diet theory," said senior author of the study Dr. Ahmed El-Sohemy, associate professor and Canada research chair in nutrigenomics at the U of T.
Sensible habits trump blood type
El-Sohemy notes that an individual's dietary habits, specifically the ability to adopt a "sensible" vegetarian or low-carb lifestyle, are what determines health, not eating a particular way based on the traits of our ancestors.
The blood type diet theory suggests that people process foods differently depending on blood type, and that changing your diet accordingly can help decrease your risk of chronic illness and disease.
For the study, U of T researchers analyzed mostly healthy, young adults who provided information about their normal eating habits and blood samples that were used to determine blood type and cardiometabolic risk factors, like insulin and cholesterol.
Diets work but not based on blood type
El-Sohemy reiterates that diets do work, but not because you're eating for your blood type. Results suggest that participants were merely becoming healthier because they were paying more attention to what they were eating.
"There was just no evidence one way or the other. It was an intriguing hypothesis, so we felt we should put it to the test. We can now be confident in saying that the blood type diet hypothesis is false."
Results of the study are published in the journal PLoS One.
Source: University of Toronto
Photo credit: © Aleksei Potov / Fotolia
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