Most of us out there who are interested in the latest diet have heard of the Blood Type diet and maybe have even tried it.  But what is it about blood type that relates to the foods we eat?  Diet inventor, Peter D'Adamo believes that lectins, a form of protein found in foods, can wreak havoc in the body if you eat a food containing lectins that are incompatible with your blood type.  

His theory is that the lectins in certain foods can target an organ or system in the body and adversely affect blood cells in the area and possibly cause weight gain or disease. But with the diet, these negative effects can be avoided by focusing on foods that mesh with your blood type.   So what does the diet propose for each type?  Type O's are said to efficiently digest meats because they tend to have high levels of stomach acid and Type A's have low stomach acid and store meat as fat (apparently, Type O was the blood type of the earliest humans, who were skilled hunters and subsisted on a diet of wild game and edible plants growing wild in the forests and individuals with Type O blood thrive on animal flesh and vegetables).  

The diet Type B blood is more varied than the other blood type diets. If you have Type B blood, you are encouraged to eat seafood, beef, lamb, and dairy products. Oats and millet, green vegetables, and all fruits are beneficial. And if you have Type AB blood are encouraged to eat lamb, turkey, cultured dairy products, eggs, rice, tofu, plums and cherries. So is it backed by any science?  D'Adamo himself acknowledges that there is no scientific study that demonstrates that his program helps with weight loss or disease prevention, but he has posted 52 pages of references on his web site to back up his belief that blood type may be related to disease.  More to come!