Blood Type and Fibromyalgia – Is there any Connection?

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Fibromyalgia is repeatedly lumped in with comparable conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus even though it is not yet classified as an autoimmune disease.  Researchers still aren’t sure what causes any of these, but theories abound.

We learned through the Human Genome Project that genetic markers often determine susceptibility to many diseases. But what about blood category, Can it conclude whether you are prone to conditions like fibromyalgia? If so, what can you do about it? In the late 1990s, Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo’s book, Eat right for your blood type became very popular.

Some celebrities were even endorsing it and swearing by his diet solution. The thought is that you go after a definite diet based on your blood type that leads to improved health and long life. It eventually got the label of a “fad diet” and came under scrutiny, including from eager debunkers. They mainly declare that D’Adamo’s diets are comparatively effectual because they are really healthy diets and have not anything to do with blood types by any means. They argue that D’Adamo’s solution has nothing to do with science, despite his claims.

What is blood type diet?

In 1996, naturopathic physician Dr Peter D’Adamo released his work “Eat Right 4 Your Type”. He anticipated that the perfect diet for good and most favorable health was not widespread but is one that fits a person according to his or her blood type. He claimed that blood type determined how food benefits the chemistry and the immune system of the body.

The trend diets based on blood type trapped on with many claiming that they lost weight, felt healthier and better after selecting diets customized to their individual blood type. It was further endorsed by celebrities who swore by it including Elizabeth Hurley, Courtney Cox-Arquette, Martine McCutcheon etc. the next decade the book sold millions of copies in nearly 50 languages and was also followed up by interrelated books like – “Allergies: Fight Them With the Blood Type Diet”, “Cook Right 4 Your Type” etc.

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How is blood type related to fibromyalgia?

Apparently, the most common blood type in the world is Type O.  One fibromyalgia patient messaged Dr. D’Adamo concerning the diet and how it helped their situation. D’Adamo added that “that those who are type O and suffering from fibromyalgia can see quite dramatic responses if they can stick to the wheat-free component of the diet for long enough duration.”

This does not answer the question as to whether Type Os are more susceptible to fibromyalgia though. In fact, nearly all the research about blood types and susceptibility that is readily available online seems to come from Dr. D’Adamo. That’s fine, but it would be helpful to find other who can concur with his findings. To be fair, during all of your fibro research, how many times have you come across articles and posts about your diet? It is constantly well thought-out a common source of exacerbating fibromyalgia symptoms.

On the other hand, how many of you had made multiple diet changes only to discover it didn’t help at all? The truth of the subject is, there is no treatment for fibromyalgia. Adjusting your diet will likely only help to mitigate your symptoms, perhaps a little, or even a lot. For example, one blogger with fibromyalgia noted the following: “I began implementing Dr. D’Adamo’s benificial [sic] foods to my daily regiment and what I found was astounding.  These effortless additions to my diet lessened my flare-ups by 90%.  Hence the truth, diet is 85% of fibromyalgia suffers pain.”

What are the different blood types?

There are four different blood groups O, A, B and AB. The differences between them are due to chemical markers called antigens on the surfaces of red blood cells. These antigens recognize specific foreign substances and when they do, they release antibodies to deal with the invaders. ABO blood type antigens consist of a ‘base’ antigen along with a carbohydrate chain of molecules called fucose.

Type A consists of an additional sugar on the fucose, N-acetylgalactosamine while Type B includes D-galactosamine on the fucose. In type AB, both sugars are present while in type O none are present. According to D’Adamo, Type O is the most common blood type at present and is the original blood type present in the Africa-based Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon ancestors around 50,000 years ago. Because our ancestors frequently ate meats along with plants, vegetation, nuts, roots, fruit and seeds, a related diet suits type O persons. D’Adamo says that type A blood developed in the Middle East around 20,000 years ago when cultivation was developing. Thus these individuals purportedly tolerate various cultivated grains. Around 10,000 years earlier in the Himalayas type B develped and this type benefits from meats and dairy.

Type AB appeared around 1,000 years ago and has blends of both types A and B. “Your blood type is the key that unlocks the door to the mysteries of health, disease, long life, physical liveliness, and emotional power, stated in the beginning of the book. Your blood type determines your susceptibility to illness, which foods you should eat, and how you should exercise. It is a part in your energy levels, in the effectiveness with which you “burn” calories, in your emotional reaction to constant worry, and maybe even in your character.” Maybe he’s right, despite all of the data which claims that there is no proof at all.

 After all, even the quality of your blood is a very important feature of Chinese medicine which has been around and effective for thousands of years. Indeed, D’Adamo’s introduction sounds very reminiscent of Chinese medicine. Conversely, maybe he’s wrong. Nevertheless, he offers some valid dietary solutions for treating common ailments and even symptoms related to fibromyalgia and similar diseases.

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References:

  • Fibromyalgia and Blood Type via By Dr Ananya Mandal, MD News Medical
  • Blood Type And Fibromyalgia via Dadamo

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