You may have read that it's important to eat certain foods based on your blood type. Depending on whether your blood type is O, A, B, or AB, proponents of the blood type diet say there are foods to eat and foods to avoid for optimal health and longer life.
Can eating certain foods based on blood type really help you live longer?
The blood type diet was first introduced in 1996 by a naturopathic physician, Peter D'Adamo, who alleges that even the spices you put on your food could contribute to better health and should be individualized for your specific blood type.
The theory is that certain foods and even the type of exercise you do should be individualized.
For instance, if you have type O blood you should eat plenty of meat and fish protein, vegetables, and fruits but stay away from legumes - at least so the dietary guidelines say.
Recommendations for weight loss include avoiding dairy, corn, and wheat and filling up on red meat, broccoli, spinach, and olive oil.
Type A individuals are advised to eat a plant-based diet.
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The blood type diet is geared to help maintain a healthy weight, avoid heart disease and minimize cancer risk.
But there have never been any verifiable studies that there really is a benefit to finding your blood type and altering the way you eat or exercise.
A new study published by researchers with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics looked at what happened to people with type A or type O blood who followed the blood type diet or didn't change their diet at all.
The finding debunks the blood type diet and here's why.
Participants who were overweight and randomly given a plant-based diet versus no diet change were followed for sixteen weeks.
Eating low-fat vegetarian food was found to ramp up fat burning after meals by 18.7 percent compared to the no diet change group.
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Next researchers did a secondary analysis on the impact of the diet based on blood type. People in the study with type A blood were fed a plant-based diet.
Study author Neil Barnard, MD, and President of the Physicians Committee said blood type made no difference.
"While the blood type diet says that a plant-based diet should be better for blood type A and less so for blood type O, it turned out to be beneficial for people of all blood types, and there was no evidence that meaty diets are good for anyone.
The takeaway is that if you're looking for weight loss and better health, eat low-fat vegetarian foods including nuts, whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables, regardless of your blood type.
Image credit Wikimedia Commons
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