| True health can only be achieved when the
actual basic
reasons for disease and important factors in achieving homeostasis, or
perfect balance, in the body are understood. After all, Dr.
Pasteur, the acclaimed discoverer of the link between germs and disease,
is said to have exclaimed on his death bed "the microbe is nothing - the
terrain is everything". By this he meant that fundamentally the germ's
ability to attack is less important than the body's ability to defend.
Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo's books Eat Right 4
Your Blood Type and Live Right for your
Blood Type, throw much light on the subject of body defenses, and I want to share some of his insights with you.
The information that follows is paraphrased from his book. Any errors
of interpretation are, of course, all mine!
Dr. d'Adamo writes about individuality as
defined by a person's blood type: in other words, it is a source of
information about the ways in which all individuals sharing the same
blood type are alike, and how they differ from people with other blood
types. It offers an explanation for why some diets cause some people to
lose weight and do nothing for others, why under exactly the same
circumstances some people get sick and others don't . why some people do
all the right things and die young, while others offend all natural laws
and live to be 100.
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It also explains why some
seemingly healthy foods may be pro-inflammatory for some, and
anti-inflammatory for others.
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His explanation is that each blood type reacts to a
different list of food in ways deleterious to their health. Why would these distinctions exist? Dr. D'Adamo
explains that each of the 4 blood types reacts chemically to a group of
substances called lectins , which are present in foods and
which, in individuals susceptible to that certain food, agglutinate
selected cells.
Type O is the
oldest blood type, and people with this type blood have digestive
systems that hark back to prehistoric times, when the diet was largely
composed of extreme protein sources (mastodon, deer, sturgeon, to give a
few far-out examples), insects, roots - in other words, hunter/gatherer
food. They tend to hyperacidity, thrive when in mild ketosis (brought
about by limited carbohydrates in the diet) and do not handle dairy
products well. Dr. D'Adamo gives some fascinating examples of type O
patients whose cholesterol levels were unacceptably high and who came to
him after all attempts to regulate them through diet and medication had
failed: on identifying their blood types, he reintroduced lean red meats
into their diet and instead limited carbohydrates, with the result that
in one case he mentions, intractable cholesterol levels of 350 went to
187, and stabilized there. I need hardly add he doesn't advocate this
approach unless under medical guidance! Their major digestive need is
for pancreatic enzymes.
Type A developed
after type O, a more agrarian and settled group. Type A blood types do
better on a more vegetarian diet. He states that this blood type is
extremely sensitive to stress, more susceptible to heart disease, cancer
and diabetes if their dietary idiosyncrasies are not respected. It seems
that this group tends to lack hydrochloric acid ( possibly
because there is also an inherent problem with the way their bodies
handle stress) leading to problems digesting heavy proteins and
absorbing B12. Type A blood group people tend to have problems
with gastritis, and need to balance their acid/alkaline food choices
very carefully.
Type B is
described as "Balanced", Dr. D'Adamo calls them sturdy and alert and,
while able to resist most of the modern scourges, curiously susceptible
to auto-immune problems such as Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Chronic
fatigue and others. Interestingly, Type B blood types have a problem
with chicken, and should avoid it because it contains a type B
agglutinating lectin (see below) in its muscle tissue.
Type AB is the
most modern blood type, having been in existence for only a 1000 years,
and quite rare. People of this blood type function best with a knowledge
of the dietary parameters of both the A and B groups, since they share
characteristics of both - but then have idiosyncrasies of their own as
well!
We lay people would probably like to call this an
allergic reaction, but he insists it is a form of food intolerance. To
quote Dr. D'Adamo "when you eat a food containing protein lectins that
are incompatible with your blood type antigen, the lectins target an
organ or bodily system (kidneys, liver, brain, stomach, etc.) and begin
to agglutinate blood cells in that area." Agglutinate is a large word
which simply means causes things to clump together, as though with glue.
Very often, we do not make a connection between the food we have
eaten and the unpleasant, inconvenient but not life threatening
symptoms we may suffer from, such as pain, inflammation, sinus problems, lack of energy,
skin problems, digestive disturbances (bloating, flatulence) and more. While these symptoms may
eventually lead to more serious health conditions, they are
often ignored as being just a part of life.
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Here is Carolyn Pierini, CLS (ASCP), CNC
at
VRP's definition of lectins:
Lectins are a class of proteins that are found in common
foods especially grains, seeds, beans, nuts, some fruits and
vegetables, and seafood. They act as a sort of an immune
system for plants by “sticking” themselves to the structural
carbohydrates (sugars) of invaders. When we eat foods
containing these proteins we risk lectin attachments to the
structural carbohydrates (sugars) antigens found in the gut
and immune system. Our unique genetic make-up and the state
of health will determine the lectins we are sensitive to and
how we will react to them. It is important to note that many
people will report that they do not feel any digestive
disturbances but that does not mean that lectins are not
affecting them. Lectin damage may be cumulative and show up
as pathology years later. Lectin attacks in the gut initiate
inflammation that may be expressed in other parts of the
body. The fact that as humans we possess these cell surface
sugars, such as n-acetylglucosamine, fucose, and mannose,
and more, means that certain lectins that bind to those
sugars will affect us all (but to different degrees). |
It is possible to determine which foods may be
causing you problems by following Dr. d'Adamo's recommendations,
another possible course is to follow Dr. Coca's pulse test
instructions,
which you will find here. A third possibility is to
use VRP's new supplement called
Lectin Lock,,
designed to help to protect against adverse
reactions caused by lectins. As Ms. Pierini points out, however, if
you know that a particular food is a definite problem, using the
natural agents contained in the supplement is not an invitation to
indulge freely in that food.
However, if you cannot control your diet as when you
are traveling, or do not know precisely what is affecting you,
Lectin Lock can act as a successful shield.
Dr. d'Adamo now also considers secretor or
non-secretor status to be an important factor in the determining of
whether a food is beneficial or not. The following definition is
taken from his website, http://www.dadamo.com
.
Secretors
In a simplified sense, a secretor is defined as a person who secretes
their blood type antigens into body fluids and secretions like the
saliva in your mouth, the mucus in your digestive tract and respiratory
cavities, etc. A non-secretor on the other hand puts little to none of
their blood type into these same fluids. As a general rule, in the US
about 20% of the population are non-secretors (with the remaining 80%
being secretors).
Non-Secretors
A non-secretor on the other hand puts little to none of their blood type
into these same fluids. As a general rule, in the US about 15% of the
population are non-secretors (with the remaining 85% being secretors).
Aside from the physical implications centering around whether you have
blood type antigens in your body fluids or not, the secretor genetics
have additional significance through the effects of gene linkage: In
other words, the outcome of your secretor genetics ‘links’ to other
seemingly unrelated genes and influences their function. |
It has long been known by Doctors that certain
diseases seem to be more common in one blood group than in others,
though the reasons have never been understood. Dr. D'Adamo explains that
because certain foods carry lectins that are blood type specific, it
follows that all people of that blood type eating that food will develop
a susceptibility to disease in the organs where agglutination occurs.
As
an example, he points out that people with type O blood are unable to
properly metabolize wheat products: he compares it to putting the
wrong octane fuel in your car, and states that many type O people who
have been unable to lose weight on any diet, frequently achieve success
when they eliminate wheat. He also makes a connection between wheat,
type O blood and stomach ulcers, which occur with far greater
frequency in this blood group. In fact, he tells of one case where one
of his patients who had suffered from recurring ulcers since he was a
small child, was finally able to get rid of them forever by totally
avoiding wheat.
It is obviously impossible for me to go into the book
in full detail, but if you have tried everything to lose weight without
success, have health problems that do not seem to respond to
conventional medical therapy or even to nutritional approaches, then the
dietary suggestions he makes for eating foods compatible with your blood
type may be the missing link between sickness and health.
| Keywords:
blood type A, blood type O, blood type AB,
blood type B,lectins food health, Eat Right for your Blood Type, Dr.
D'Adamo review, the vitamin lady writes about blood type and health,
lectins allergies, lectin lock, lectins health, lectins digestion
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