Blood Type and Digestion

Most of us only think about our blood type when its a medical emergency, or when we give blood, but never take time to think does our blood have any bearing on our digestion of food, or even our immunity in general.

This is not a discussion on what is a blood type, you can read a wikipedia article on that, instead it is to inform you of the relationship that food plays when it meets our blood type.

Each Blood Type has unique levels of important intestinal enzymes.

No single diet theory can address all aspects of our individuality, and only a fool would claim that soy, red meat, grains, coconut oil or anything else is universally good or universally bad for everyone.

For example, people who are blood type O appear to derive significant benefit from a diet including hormone and antibiotic free meats and poultry. There is a very basic physiologic reason for this: those with type O blood have almost three times the levels of an enzyme in their intestines called intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP).

This enzyme performs two very important functions in the body. First, IAP splits dietary cholesterol into smaller fragments, allowing for their proper breakdown.

Second, IAP enhances the absorption of calcium from the diet. Now you’d think this was cutting-edge, late-breaking news since it is obviously of tremendous interest in these nutrigenomic times. However, the first observations were made over four decades ago.

In addition to these two critical functions IAP is an important influence on the ability of the digestive tract to heal. Thus in most type O patients (44% of the population) we see a marked improvement in their IBS, colitis and Crohns disease when they increase their protein and cut back on their carbohydrates.

Amazingly, for a very brief period in our fetal life this enzyme is the most abundant enzyme in our body exactly at the moment when the fetus is busy manufacturing the delicate microvilli lining that powers the absorption mechanisms of our small intestines.

Thus, we have here one of the strongest indications for the long term benefit of a low-fat diet in type A, both with regard to the susceptibility to cardiovascular disease, and (although not mentioned here) their additional susceptibility to cancer.

Following a type A eating plan, with its emphasis on a healthy fats and moderate to lower animal protein, is the best method to maximize digestive efficiency in type As, lower their level of intestinal dysfunction, and to influence their susceptibility to cardiovascular disease.

Blood type B makes considerable amounts of IAP as well, but type A’s make very little. This probably explains why most studies that have looked at heart disease and blood type show a significantly higher rate of problems with blood type A individuals. These folks really should follow a Mediterranean-type diet.

Later studies showed that type A not only secreted almost no alkaline phosphatase in their intestines, but whatever little they did secrete was in and of itself inactivated by the presence of their own A antigen.

So the next time you go to eat food, think does my body need this food will it enhance or degrade me, because foods effects us deeply, so deeply even our blood has antigens and our digestive tracks have differing enzyme balances that react to specific foods.

For more information the blood type diet books are a good way to gain a grounding in this information.