Ancestry of Blood Types

Alright, let's dive into this blood type thing. First, I want to say that this entire "series" of posts regarding blood type are not my own knowledge (unless I note in some way that something is), everything is information I received from this book (which I gave the details of in the previous post). So whenever I randomly place a sentence or thought in quotations, unless specified, it is directly from the book. Just wanted to clear that up so everyone knew I wasn't plagiarizing or anything =]

Let's begin with a quote from the book. This quote is from the authors father, James D'Adamo. Both he and the author are naturopathic physicians - what a career choice!
"I believed that no two people on the face of the earth were alike; no two people have the same fingerprints, lip prints, or voice prints...Because I felt that all people were different from one another, I did not think it was logical that they should eat the same foods. It became clear to me that since each person was housed in a special body with different strengths, weaknesses, and nutritional requirements, the only way to maintain health or cure illness was to accommodate to that particular patient's specific needs." - James

Based on James' belief, he did years and years of research on his hypothesis. His son, Peter, took his findings and made the information available to the public, in the form of this book. One thing that is pertinent to understand is that your blood type is not just one little small fact about you that has no relevance. "It is a genetic blueprint for who you are, a guide to how you can live most healthfully."

How did we get these four different blood types - O, A, B, AB? Well, although I am not an advocate of the evolutionary theory of people deriving from apes, I am a believer in the fact that humans have changed - or evolved - over time based on their environment. In the early days, our ancestors were fighting to survive and would have to eat the food sources they came upon. As our ancestors changed what they ate over time, their immune systems and digestive tracts had to adapt to be able to number one, survive and then be able to thrive on the foods being consumed. Here is a breakdown, taken directly from the text, of these adaptations:
1. The ascent of humans to the top of the food chain (evolution of Type O to its fullest expression)
2. The change from hunter-gatherer to a more domesticated agrarian (essentially - farming/plant eating) lifestyle (appearance of Type A)
3. The merging and migration of the races from the African homeland to Europe, Asia and the Americas (development of Type B)
4. The modern intermingling of disparate groups (the arrival of Type AB)

The book spends several pages discussing more in depth how these types came about and what it was like as they were adapting. I do not find it necessary to present that here. So, if you are interested, check out the book. But, let me just give you the general characteristics of the blood types, based on their "evolution":
TYPE O: The oldest and most basic blood type, the survivor at the top of the food chain, with a strong and ornery immune system willing to and capable of destroying anyone, friend or foe.
TYPE A: The first immigrants, forced by the necessity of migration to adapt to a more agrarian (again, farming/plant eating) diet and lifestyle...with a more cooperative personality to get along in crowded communities.
TYPE B: The assimilator, adapting to new climates and the mingling of populations; representing nature's quest for a more balanced force between the tensions of the mind and the demands of the immune system.
TYPE AB: The delicate offspring of a rare merger between the tolerant Type A and the formerly barbaric but more balanced Type B.

"Our ancestors left each of us a special legacy, imprinted in our blood types. This legacy exists permanently in the nucleus of each cell. It is here that the anthropology and science of our blood meet."

Well, take time to digest this information for now. Next I will explain exactly how it is that our blood deals with different foods differently. This will be a difficult thing to do, because there are a lot of difficult concepts that I can somewhat understand, but it can be hard to reiterate the information to you. I will do my best. For now, read this and ask any questions you have!