Blood types and frames

Off Topic
1

This weeks reader mail reminded me some of my last summers debates. It is mostly adressed to women, though men can answer too.

I have noticed that mostly all skinny (ectomorphs) people I know have frequently unusual blood types. One gal has B, the other has A, and I know an AB one. Nevermind the +/- signs. All huge eaters that never pack more than 2-3 pounds, max, after pigging out. Bodyweight/bodycomp stable year long. Pregnancy did not change the before/after look.

On the other hand, more normal folks, meaning O blood type, are more distributed among the mesomorph or endomorph frames.

Don`t have the biggest sample of the universe, but I find the recurrence…intriguing.

Anybody have similar/different experiences?

(Makes an awfully original conversation starter question line too ehehehe).

2

This is an interesting observation Dan.

I am a blood type A and I guess I’m an ectomorph who can eat herself into a fully saturated state and not gain more than 4 pounds (which is just mostly water retention, because it’s gone a day later).

However, I dont know what I would be like if I didnt train and watch my diet as much as I do. In my heaviest state I was 135 lbs and that was when I let food and it’s comforting effect take control of my life. It was in my first year at University and I really let myself become a porker. I have pictures to prove that I was quite chubby.

Now, you all might be thinking ‘yah, sure, Cass was chubby, uh-huh whatever’. But, I was, and I do work very hard to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

An arguement though to your observation is that I am an exact copy of my mother and she is a type O. So, what do you make of that? Her and I have be mistaken for sisters and she’s 42! Maybe it’s a combination of genetics and blood type that dictate one’s own body type.

What does everyone else have to say?

3

I’m A+ and I’ve put on 36 pounds (much of it being fat) since Jan. 17 of this year.

4

Blood type O is the rarest of all.

Blood type A+ is the most common, by far. Next is type B. Then AB. Finally O- is the rarest.

What data are yout alking from? A few people dont make for much of a study.

5

3 yrs ago when I started weighlifting I weighed 155 lbs, 10% bf at 6’0.
1 year later I weighed 229 lbs, 20% bf (I had the get huge fast syndrome).
Today I am 202 lbs, 9% bf.

Im A+.

6

Diesel,

You are wrong.

Blood type O is the majority of the population as Dan said.

A is next, then B, then AB.

7

Some interesting stuff on this site: Blood Type Facts - BloodBook, Information on Blood Type Facts for Life Look at the overall frequency and then some of the ethnic/geographic breakdowns.

8

Thanks for your comments. It allowed me refine my theory a bit more, with this:

Come to think of it, not only had they different than O blood types, they also all had A (the more agressive / active / dominant) personality. None of them lifted seriously. Could be a combination of both factors.

(Enough for the alphabet soup.)

DIESEL: I know my sample is small. Thats why I ask more data from everybodys experience. Remember that if it occurs more than 50% (and hopefully higher), technically, you have a statistical pattern and a truth basis.

Cass adds another interesting distinction. Aging. Have you ever noticed that their are different lineages in the same family on this trait? I will detail. In the same family, I have often observed gifted packages (strong natures). You know the type. Ages slower than average. Almost never sick. Usually more aggressive. Not frequently hit by (if at all) auto-immune diseases like arthritis and other neurally degenerative conditions. Like the Energizer Bunny, they just keep going, and going, and going, until they drop dead, usually by cardiac conditions.

I suspect a strong difference in the way the body pathways / mechanisms their body processes carbs and oxygen, and the end products (like the AGEP for carbs), ultimately translated to less damage to DNA by time unit and therefore a more clement (slower degrading blueprint) aging process.

All additional info always welcome.

9

O is not the least represented blood type at all. It’s the most represented. You’ve got that backwards, diesel.

And AB- is the rarest blood type, not O-.

Please don’t correct somebody with incorrect information.

10

Cassnova are you SERIOUS???

Wow, I must say Im VERY surprised.

I do know that in Portugal, blood type O is very rare. It was said if your blood type is O-, and you need a transfusion, you’d be very lucky to find a donor. On the other hand, again in Portugal, the VAST majority (about 70-80%) of all blood was type A, most of it being A+. Type B wasnt as common, but type AB was fairly frequent.

It never crossed my mind ratios would be that much different around the whole world. I always thought I had the very most common blood type there is.

11

I’m somewhat torn between two extremes on this one. Here’s a quote against blood-type dieting:

“D’Adamo bases his theories on the assumption that early man had Type O blood, and that the A, B, and AB bloodtypes came long after. He claims that these later bloodtypes are genetically predisposed towards grains and milk products, foods that came in with agriculture and the domestication of animals, while Type Os are natural meat eaters. The evidence is less than convincing. Anthropologists can point to evidence that all four blood types existed back in the hunter/gatherer Paleolithic era,1 a fact that deflates Dr. D’Adamo’s entire theoretical structure.”

However, at the same time, Poliquin is a huge fan of the diet, mentioning that type Os in particular (CP himself included) respond very well to diets “tailored” to them. I’m a type O, and have seen noticeable improvements since I eliminated dairy, oats, and whole eggs in favor of loads of red meat, yams (on carbups), and spinach. I think that the anecdotal evidence is less favorable for the other diets, though, as the author often recommend copious amounts of soy and vegetarian diets for some.

12

Poliquin’s really bogging it down on this one.

What, does he really think Im gonna see any progress by focusing on veggies and cut back on my meats? Ha.

It’s easy for him to look the part because he has the blood type which supposedly requires meat. Id’like to see if he’d look half as good if his blood type had been A and he’s been eating mostly veggies and cutting back on meat.

Poliquin has come up with some interesting ideas, but this is pure bullshit.

13

I don’t know… It’s an interesting idea, but think about it: people have known about blood types for quite a while now, and if this were something that were really true (the whole different “blood types should eat different things” deal), wouldn’t (a) folk wisdom have discovered the fact long ago and (b) when blood types were discovered wouldn’t someone have made the connection?

I think that regardless of what your blood type is, having a good (or bad) diet and training regimen will produce noticeable effects. I know that I’m an ecto A-, and yes, it is difficult for me to gain muscle. But it’s not difficult for me to gain weight, at least now. It was when I was younger (“Ab work? Hah! I don’t need no stinkin’ ab work!”), but now that I’m in my 40s I have to be somewhat careful. Not as much as most (white) guys my age, but more than I used to. And my blood type hasn’t changed.

I think that these types of ideas are, as I said, interesting, but when you look at a really large body of evidence, they kind of fade into statistical randomness.

14

Eric,

I recently replaced rice with sweet potatoes for 2 of my carb meals and have also noticed an improvement in leaness without changing anything else. Do you know why this would happen? I’m guessing my body tolerates the yams better than the rice.

15

I’m O+ and have the ectomorphic frame. Long, lean limbs, but short, stocky torso. I’ve been known to do some major eating, and I struggle to put on good LBM.

So, I don’t have a rare blood type, but I do have the ectomorph frame, which makes your theory not hold true in all cases.

16

Im type O+ and im strong and sexy as shit. And i get my best results in terms of physique by eating low carbs and high fat and protein.

17

CHAR-DAWG: I don’t need no stinkin’ ab work!"), but now that I’m in my 40s I have to be somewhat careful. Not as much as most (white) guys my age, but more than I used to. And my blood type hasn’t changed.

I surely hope for you that your blood type did not change in the meanhwhile. Your docs would have tons of questions if you did, not to mention potential donor-related compatibility problems. ;0)

Seriously, for age and the easier weight (non-muscle), it goes back to the gradual metabolism that goes after 23 years old. Nobody is immune to that.

A lifeguard I know resumed it best: look at males over 25 years old who dont have a tire. They are they exception, NOT the rule.</i> (Yet theyre the same guys who were all lean a couple of years back). I went to a marriage party yesterday and I acknowledge the observation with ALL of my buddies (both sexes), except, once again, a couple of ectos (which, if they did pack some pounds, hid it far more easier under a suit).

Some get hit more than others, but EVERYBODY suffers from it. Call it an invariable.

NATE DOGG: So, I don’t have a rare blood type, but I do have the ectomorph frame, which makes your theory not hold true in all cases.

Please recall that I did not expressely rule out cases like yours. Since a there a big gang of Os in North America, the big (no pun intended) number of them alone will statistically allow for the presence of Ecto O`s.

I`m just trying to figure if the ecto phenotype (for lack of a better word, in the sense of visible characteristics linked to genetic make up BUT independent of the environment) has indeed any corellation with Blood types. What I saw points to it. Just want to know if large scale it holds the road, statistically.

So far, feedback seems to point towards some trend, but not a clear-cut, 80-90% ish one.

18

I’m an O+ also, while not as strong as Goldberg, I still maintain I’m sexier. Well, that’s what I pay people to say.

19

I’m an O+ and sexier than either irondoc or Goldberg.

:wink:

20

A+ and if I had to guess what “morph” I was it’d be mesomorph. I used to think endo but my body’s reminded me lately that I gain muscle (and fat) rather easily but lose it with difficulty. Of course, my whole understanding of what defines each could be completely skewed also…