The combination of antigens and antibodies in your blood is the basis of your blood type. The Different Blood Types. There are four major blood groups and eight different blood types.
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The blood type diet, also known as the blood group diet, was popularized by a naturopathic physician called Dr. Peter D'Adamo in the year 1996.His book, Eat Right 4 Your Type, was incredibly successful. It was a New York Times bestseller, sold millions of copies, and is still wildly popular today.In this book, he claims that the optimal diet for any one individual depends on the person's ABO blood type.He claims that each blood type represents genetic traits of our ancestors, including which diet they evolved to thrive on.This is how each blood type is supposed to eat:. Type A: Called the agrarian, or cultivator. People who are type A should eat a diet rich in plants, and completely free of 'toxic'. This closely resembles a vegetarian diet. Type B: Called the nomad.
These people can eat plants and most meats (except chicken and pork), and can also eat some. However, they should avoid wheat, lentils, and a few other foods. Type AB: Called the enigma. Described as a mix between types A and B. Foods to eat include seafood, tofu, dairy, beans and grains. They should avoid, corn, beef and chicken.
Type O: Called the hunter. This is a high-protein diet based largely on meat, fish, poultry, certain and vegetables, but limited in grains, legumes and dairy. It closely resembles the.For the record, I think any of these dietary patterns would be an improvement for most people, no matter what their blood type is.All 4 diets (or 'ways of eating') are mostly based on real, and a huge step up from the standard Western diet of processed junk food.So, even if you go on one of these diets and your health improves, it doesn't necessarily mean that it had anything to do with your blood type.Maybe the reason for the health benefits is simply that you're eating healthier food than before.
Bottom Line: The type A diet resembles a vegetarian diet, but type O is a high-protein diet that resembles the paleo diet. The other two are somewhere in between. One of the central theories of the blood type diet has to do with called lectins. Research on ABO blood types has advanced rapidly in the past few years and decades.There is now strong evidence that people with certain blood types can have a higher or lower risk of some diseases ( ).For example, type Os have a lower risk of heart disease, but a higher risk of stomach ulcers (, ).However, there are no studies showing this to have anything to do with diet.In a large observational study of 1,455 young adults, eating a type A diet (lots of fruits and vegetables) was associated with better health markers. But this effect was seen in everyone following the type A diet, not just individuals with type A blood ( ).In a major 2013 review study where researchers examined the data from over a thousand studies, they did not find a single well-designed study looking at the health effects of the blood type diet ( ).They concluded: 'No evidence currently exists to validate the purported health benefits of blood type diets.' Of the 4 studies identified that somewhat related to ABO blood type diets, they were all poorly designed (, ).One of the studies that found a relationship between blood types and food allergies actually contradicted the blood type diet's recommendations. Bottom Line: Not a single well designed study has been conducted to either confirm or refute the benefits of the blood type diet.
I do not doubt that many people have experienced positive results by following the diet. However, this does NOT mean that this was in any way related to their blood type.Different diets work for different people. Some people do well with a lot of plants and little meat (like the type A diet), while others thrive eating plenty of high-protein animal foods (like the type O diet).If you got great results on the blood type diet, then perhaps you simply found a diet that happens to be appropriate for your metabolism. It may not have had anything to do with your blood type.Also, this diet removes the majority of unhealthy processed foods from people's diets.Perhaps that is the single biggest reason that it works, without any regard to the different blood types.That being said, if you went on the blood type diet and it works for you, then by all means keep doing it and don't let this article dishearten you.If your current diet ain't broken, don't fix it.From a scientific standpoint, however, the amount of evidence supporting the blood type diet is particularly underwhelming.
There are very specific ways in which blood types must be matched for a safe transfusion. The right blood transfusion can mean the difference between life and death.Every 2 seconds someone in the US needs a blood transfusion.Use the interactive graphic below to learn more about matching blood types for transfusions.Also, Rh-negative blood is given to Rh-negative patients, and Rh-positive or Rh-negative blood may be given to Rh-positive patients. The rules for plasma are the reverse. The universal red cell donor has Type O negative blood.
The universal plasma donor has Type AB blood. Universal donors are those with an O negative blood type. O negative blood can be used in transfusions for any blood type.Type O is routinely in short supply and in high demand by hospitals – both because it is the most common blood type and because type O negative blood is the universal blood type needed for emergency transfusions and for immune deficient infants.Approximately 45 percent of Caucasians are type O (positive or negative), but 51 percent of African-Americans and 57 percent of Hispanics are type O. Minority and diverse populations, therefore, play a critical role in meeting the constant need for blood.Types O negative and O positive are in high demand. Only 7% of the population are O negative. However, the need for O negative blood is the highest because it is used most often during emergencies. The need for O+ is high because it is the most frequently occurring blood type (37% of the population).The universal red cell donor has Type O negative blood.
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The universal plasma donor has Type AB blood. For more about plasma donation, visit the plasma donation facts.Nearly 21 million are transfused each year in the U.S.' What is your blood type?
Donate and find out.
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