10 Oct DOES BLOOD TYPE AFFECT YOUR BEST DIET FOR WEIGHT LOSS?
Fad or Fact: Your blood type can determine your best diet for weight loss.
Blood type diets have increased in popularity during the past 10 years based on numerous books that claim specific diets are better for different blood types. Most popular is Eat Right for Your Blood Type by Peter D’Adamo. For example, the book claims that Type A blood types thrive on vegetarian diets, and Type B blood types should focus on keeping fat consumption to a minimum. The specific diets claim to improve health and decrease the risk of disease.
But does science support these claims?
Not according to a recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study looked to scientific sources for answers. Using a thorough search strategy, 16 articles on the subject were identified from 1,415 references.
Here’s the kicker: Not one scientific study supported the health benefits of blood-type diets.
Don’t waste your time. The blood type diet is nothing more than a fad! These kinds of diets make weight loss more complicated than it needs to be. In reality, weight loss is simple: It happens when a well-balanced diet is combined with physical activity and a medical professional to help you change your unhealthy habits.
It’s not easy, but it’s simple. Your improved quality of life is well worth it. The problem with fad diets is they are usually a quick fix and don’t focus on long-term maintenance. Yes, you can starve yourself or go on an extreme fasting diet for a few days, but you will likely gain all the weight back in a matter of months or weeks.
In order to really be successful, you have to think long-term. Instead of doing a crash diet to look good in photos at a family wedding, use the wedding as motivation, but plan ahead and give yourself enough time to do it the healthy way.
Ultimately, you will save your health, time, and money. Adopting an overall healthy lifestyle is about being as healthy on the inside as you look on the outside. My most successful patients ditch the term diet from their vocabulary and embrace a new outlook on food.