On Wed, 29 Oct 1997, Edward Campbell wrote:

> I am only superfically aware of the blood type theories.  However, I have
> several problems with this theory: (1) It's recommended that Type A's be
> vegetarian or greatly reduce meat intake (lower gastric acid and enzymes).

This is an area where D'Adamo's recommendations go beyond his
data.  In fact, he lists poultry and some fish as neutral or
beneficial protein sources.  He also states that soy has a lectin
that is beneficial for type As.  This does not entail
vegetarianism or anything close to it.  When he goes on to say
that type As "thrive" on a vegetarian diet (along the lines that
he describes) he is not really saying that this is a requirement.

>  It also states that Type A was the first blood type variation after Type O.
>  If this is the case, why would Type A, for all practical purposes, be
> totally opposite of Type O (high gastric acids and enzymes) in eating
> requirements?  It seems there should be a more gradual evolution to being
> able to eat certain foods.  (2)  From data that I've seen, the Type A blood
> type began to appear between 10-20 thousand years ago.  If this is the case,
> this predates the agricultural revolution, which usually is placed at 10
> thousand years ago in the Middle East, much later in Europe.  Why would a
> blood type that is adapted to agricultural foods appear either before or at
> the same time as the neolithic period?

The A type appeared before the agricultural revolution, but did
not *spread* until the spread of agriculture.  In fact, the A
type followed in the wake of agriculture.  Agriculture didn't
*cause* the A type but created selection pressure for it.

Note that D'Adamo's thesis is not that As are fully adapted to
agriculture.  Bs are more adapted, and ABs more adapted still.
Type As still have problems with wheat and most dairy products.

There are many aspects of D'Adamo's theory that I have trouble
with, but he does seem to have put his finger on some provocative
correlations between blood type, diet, and health.

Todd Moody
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