Diabetes & Blood Type
by Dr Jason Mallia ND Dr.Sc, Integrative Medicine Practitioner (Australia)

Mainstream understanding of Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease that occurs when the pancreas stops producing insulin or the body cannot utilize insulin correctly. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar or glucose, into starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The net result is poor energy production from food in the body.

There are two types of diabetes:

Type 1 Diabetes: This is  a lifelong  disease and begins early in life usually diagnosed in children and young adults. In Type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin.

In Type 1 diabetes the cells of the pancreas responsible for producing insulin are destroyed. This has been linked to an autoimmune response which is triggered by a virus or toxin which is mistaken as beta cells of the pancreas and the immune system attacks stops them from reproducing.

Early signs of this type of diabetes include, excessive thirst, hunger, weight loss, frequent urination, blurred vision, fatigue and chronic  infection. According to conventional medicine, it is non- curable but may however be managed with insulin injections and lifestyle modifications.

Type 2 Diabetes : Unlike Type 1, people with Type 2 do produce insulin. The insulin they produce however is dysfunctional. This disables blood sugar from entering the cells to be expended as energy,  or it is not enough to regulate blood sugar levels . Type 2 is classed as a metabolic disorder due to this poor sugar utilization.

This form of diabetes is most often seen in overweight men and women. However the alarming rise of child obesity is also related to more Type 2 cases in children. There used to be no such thing as Type 2 diabetes in children, however with the fast food revolution and the use of refined sugar in processed foods, this is becoming an epidemic.

Type 2 diabetes patients are at a higher risk of conditions including coronary artery disease, hyperglycemia that leads to blindness, foot and leg amputation and renal failure.

Conventional Treatment
Conventional treatment is aimed at lowering blood glucose levels by treating the absence of insulin production and /or problems from the pancreas’ low productivity.

It is very common to treat Type 2 diabetes with daily injections of insulin or oral insulin medication is also used to help boost the body’s supply. Those with Type 2 will need to modify their diets and take oral medication, especially in the early days of the illness.

Insulin Resistance is a pre- diabetic state which can lead to Type 2 diabetes if left unmanaged. This occurs when insulin that is released is not sufficient to lower blood glucose and the glucose is deposited into the body’s cells. When this occurs the pancreas receives messages to send out more glucose to facilitate lowering the blood glucose. In some cases when the body’s cells still do not respond with higher amounts of insulin, the glucose build- up in the blood will soon result in hyperglycemia or Type 2 diabetes. 

Insulin resistance most commonly causes weight gain as the body is continually not able to switch off the mechanism for depositing sugar and fat into the fat tissues. This fat storage most commonly occurs in the abdominal area.

Blood Type Understanding of Diabetes

The Root of Type 1 Diabetes

Based on recent evidence, Type 1 diabetes occurs when the blood type of the mother and child is incompatible, for example the mother is blood type O while the child may be blood type A. Due to this incompatibility the mothers immune system sees the antigens of the  the  of blood type A  child as foreign . An immune reaction occurs where the immune system of the mother attacks the not  recognized foreign cells of the child , preventing the proper formation of insulin- producing pancreas cells among other tissues and diminishing their function.

The Root of Type 2 Diabetes

In Type 2 the main blood type links are associated with digestive and metabolic differences in the blood types; and how efficiently each blood type digests and metabolizes different kinds of food, supplements and medication. Weight gain and insulin resistance is the main cause of type 2.

Lectins Contribute to Diabetes and Insulin Resistance

Lectins (proteins contained in food) have been shown to have a number of effects in the body. According to Dr D’Adamo, lectins have a potential to bind both to Antigen ‘A’  found on the surface of blood type A cells and also to the insulin- producing cells in the pancreas . This activates a particular antibody called IG3, following which is inflammation and the death of that cell. Gradually, pancreatic cells will no longer have the ability to secrete insulin, resulting in diabetes.   

Lectins have also  been proven to contribute to insulin resistance. They do this by  interacting unfavorably to certain blood type antigens they also  have the ability to mimic, replace and to compete with  insulin. The difference however is in their function opposed to insulin is they stimulate the insulin receptor and unlike insulin do not switch the receptor off. The switching off process is important as it instructs the pancreas to stop producing insulin . Over time these lectins therefore cause over stimulation of the insulin receptor and cause over production of insulin and insulin resistance occurs .  
Lectins that are incompatible with the blood type, such as Lentil Lectin (LCL) and the Green Pea Lectin (PSA)  have the ability to bind to the  insulin receptors found on the surface of our fat cells , this causes the body to stop mobilizing and burning fat and causes the storage of more fat and sugar as fat. 

So which blood types are more associated with Diabetes?

Blood Type A and AB have been shown to be at a higher risk for the development of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. This again is a statistical observation made by monitoring thousands of people and the blood type frequency in the disease.

It has been shown that the highest degree of compatibility is demonstrated when a mother’s blood Type is 0 and the child is A. The insulin- producing cells are more susceptible to attack by the mother’s immune system.

In Type 2 the risk factors for A and AB are associated with thickness of the blood. Thicker blood has the propensity to increase the risk of the complications of coronary heart disease.

The way each blood type tolerates carbohydrates couples with each blood type’s metabolic rates are also linked to the development of Type 2. Blood type O and B are most likely to get diabetes due to their intolerance to carbohydrates. Unlike blood type A and AB they do not digest carbohydrates as effectively. Undigested or partially digested carbohydrates lead to excess carbohydrates being stored as fat. This extra storage that occurs in these blood types not only causes obesity but creates insulin resistance.  Blood type O and B individuals who have insulin resistance often have a high level of visceral fat , fat around their mid section.

The following table is a summary how Diabetes affects each blood Type

Diet Profile for Each Blood Type
Food falls into five categories of super beneficial, beneficial, neutral (allowed infrequently), neutral (allowed frequently) and avoid.
The main modification from the general blood type diet is to emphasize the use of super beneficial and beneficial food in the diet. These foods have a medicinal affect in the specified blood types and can be used to enhance the immune system and aid recovery.
Please refer to the Dr Peter D’Adamo’s book Diabetes: Fight it with Blood Type for a comprehensive list of the categories of food.

Key lectins for each blood type that should be avoided and cause weight gain and blood sugar irregularities:  

Supplementation for Each Blood Type
The correct supplements according to your type can further support the body and maximize the potential for recovery. It is important to communicate with your qualified  blood type practitioner and have them decide on the best regime for you based on your individual condition. In diabetics supplements can be used in conjunction with the diet to help with body composition, managing of weight, diabetic symptoms, and preventing complications with diabetes.
Please refer to the Dr Peter D’Adamo’s book Diabetes: Fight it with Blood Type for the list of recommended supplementation. However, please  see your physician for a professional diagnosis before embarking on any treatment.

Article provided by Jason Mallia ND