Blood type for victory (Part 2)

If there are two factors that athletes cannot escape – and that constantly affect performance – they are food intake and weight control. These two aspects of daily life affect everything from disposition to clarity of mind to responsiveness to endurance.

The modern diet is full of meats and fats, particularly found in fast foods. This has different effects on different people, depending on their blood types. For example, Type Os, considered the most ancient blood type, were commonly characterized as hunters. As such, they were constantly in a state of ketosis, wherein their bodies metabolized the large quantities of proteins and fats into ketones, which are used instead of sugar to keep blood glucose levels steady. Essentially, Type O people are more suited to eating a lot of meat, because they genetically break it down better than other blood types. That’s why the high-protein diet which swept the US the last couple of years has gotten results with many people.

What does this mean? Basically, the other blood types would be able to make better use of dairy products and grains than Type Os, primarily because they are predisposed to digesting them. In Dr. Peter D’Adamo’s first book on this subject, Eat Right For Your Type, he says you don’t have to hunt down a bowl of cereal or a glass of milk. Therefore, if you are an athlete who drinks a lot of milk, you may not actually be benefitting yourself, depending on your blood type.

Secondly, if you want to control your weight (critical for most sports, particularly contact sports and martial arts) you have to consider what role the consumption of grains, breads and beans. Although gluten has been touted as a safer alternative to meat, it does not necessarily benefit all blood types. Gluten is taken by many people who want to control their weight but still look for the taste and texture of meat. For most blood types, this is the case. But, in the more "ancient" case of Type Os, eating wheat (found in most bread and pasta) actually causes weight gain by interfering with your body’s ability to burn calories. So look out.

Although the government has promoted the use of iodized salt as a good source of iodine, it would be better to check your blood type to see if it really will help you. If you have low levels of thyroid hormone, iodine will actually make you gain weight, lose muscle, retain fluids and feel tired.

For most blood types, fish is generally beneficial. But the kinds of fish we consume can also make a big difference. Seafood is the second most concentrated animal protein, and cold-water fish are beneficial for certain blood types, mainly due to the oils they secrete.

Changing your diet can affect not only your weight, but intolerance to certain foods, bowel problems, diabetes, immunity to disease, joint and muscle inflammation, and emotional balance. Athletes are naturally fiery. But the proper use of nutrition can augment their patience, tolerance for stress and pain, and help them maintain clarity of thought during competition.

Blood type Os exhibit greater aggression and score higher on anger ratings in certain studies, much higher than Type As. Type B and AB participants in such studies rate somewhere in between. Anger management strategies are often recommended for these cases of extreme intensity. One study suggests that more Type Os suffer early heart problems than other blood types.

All of these factors can help us greatly in dealing with our temperaments and augment our lifestyle. Knowing what foods we should avoid and veer towards can make it easier for us to control our weight and emotions, and improve our performance not only on the playing field, but also in life. Being able to regulate your diet and exercise according to your blood type is a new way to use your personal physiological nature to your advantage. If you are a Type O, for example, and you are high-strung, you can eat or drink something that can help your body eliminate adrenaline faster so you can stay calm. On the other hand, you can avoid wheat and wheat by-products so you won’t get tired as easily. For many athletes, this may mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Although this places greater responsibility on the individual, investing in the knowledge may go a long way in determining the quality of life we have as people, and counteract a lot of the hostility we feel in stressful situations every day.

Knowing what works for your blood type will give you control over your life, to a degree you never thought possible.