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No, not that type of blood-based diet.
No, not that type of blood-based diet. (Photo: 10/23/2004)

Debunking the Blood-Based Diet

Researchers say there's no evidence to support it.

Published: 
No, not that type of blood-based diet.
(Photo: 10/23/2004)

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If a specific pattern of eating could propel you toward PRs and boost your performance鈥攁ll the while playing to your body鈥檚 DNA鈥攜ou鈥檇 stick to the plan, right?

This past week, the respected 鈥攚hich promised to do all of the above. The fad suggested that being A, B, AB, or O should impact your food choices, and was popularized by the book .

But researchers say there鈥檚 absolutely no evidence to support it.

So why did the diet garner so much hype? We looked into the issue last year. And as we noted in that story, some of the science is sound. With new research, doctors have been able to ID and test tons of blood-based indicators that affect your health: cholesterol, calcium, and vitamin D, to name a few. And doctors then use these indicators to supposedly enhance performance, raise your metabolism, and boost your mood.

Where companies who market 鈥渂lood-based diets鈥 fall short is here: It鈥檚 not about your blood type,鈥 says Stacy Sims, Ph.D., and co-founder of Osmo Nutrition. It鈥檚 about how your body reacts to certain foods鈥攎arkers of which can be seen through your blood. Certain people feel better eating certain foods鈥攕ome feel worse. The association between that idea and blood type is just that: an association, she explains.

What we do know: 鈥淏lood is very telling鈥攊t鈥檚 the main fluid and transporter in your body,鈥 she says. If you have an inflammatory response to something you eat, it鈥檒l show up in your blood. If you鈥檙e low on vitamin D, for example, that can affect how your muscles repair themselves,鈥 says Sim. D levels can be discovered through a blood test since the vitamin circulates there. Blood tests鈥攊n this sense鈥攎ake sense.

More importantly, though, blood tests need context. Take C-reactive protein: a marker of inflammation. Elevated levels could mean that you had a hard workout, that you鈥檙e highly stressed, or that you have heart problems. But without context, a test can be misleading.

There鈥檚 something to be said for personalized medicine and learning more about what鈥檚 going on in your body. But your health shouldn鈥檛 revolve around a 鈥渄iet,鈥 Sims emphasizes. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about fueling your body with functional foods,鈥 she says.

Lead Photo: 10/23/2004

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