Dr. James D'Adamo practices in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The following is an interview with him.

Please explain the difference between a holistic (Naturopathic) doctor and a traditional doctor.

Naturopathic medicine employs alternative therapies to help improve the body's ability to heal and maintain itself. Practitioners of naturopathy use natural remedies such as botanical tinctures/medicinal herbs and foods rather than synthetic drugs. Naturopathic doctors search for the root cause of a symptom since there is usually more to the body than just the symptom. Naturopathic doctors will typically treat the whole body and find the cause of the symptoms as opposed to treating only the symptom the patient is complaining about. Naturopaths are graduates of an accredited Naturopathic school, and required to pass the same boards as medical doctors and are well versed in medicine. The difference between a naturopath and a medical doctor is that we are more skilled in natural healing. 

How did the Blood Type Diet come about?

Dr. James D’Adamo said he would be getting to that. So please read on.

Is there research to back up the Blood Type Diet? What got you interested in this?

Yes.  When I started researching the correlation between blood type and diet some 53 years ago, there was no Internet and I had read nothing on the subject matter. In fact, I put myself through school working as a lab technician at a hospital It was there that I began to question the correlation between blood and illness, food, exercise, etc. In school I was taught that everyone should be a vegetarian, and in my training in Europe I saw a similar diet in all the health spas. Everyone was to eat light vegetarian meals and that was how they treated the body with food. But, in my practice as a new doctor, I noticed that when I did that, very few of my patients became well, but most did not respond favorably. I began to notice that those who are Type O did much better with a protein and vegetable diet as opposed to those who are Type A's who seem to benefit from an all vegetarian diet.

In my first book, One Man’s Food is Someone Else's Poison (1981), I wrote based on my qualitative research of 10,000 patients. As I saw more and more patients, I had a larger sample to work with and not only did this compound most of my original findings but it also opened up a new area of research-- sub blood types. I have found that most people not only have a blood type but a sub blood type as well.  This was before the medical community published anything about sub blood types -- it was an exciting finding because this allowed me to individualize people’s diets even more. That was when I wrote The D'Adamo Diet and discussed my findings. I was seeing even more success with my patients and people were elated with the results. My latest book, Just an Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure (2010), is a culmination of my life's work, my 53 years of research, and results of my 60,000 plus patients.  I discuss A1's and RH factors which is a continuation of my research. My patients are my laboratory; my results are testimonials, lab reports, and my continued treatments for thousands upon thousands of patients and their success. Researching the body is not about test tubes, it’s about the individual.

Could you give our readers a sample of what type of food and exercise they would be doing if they followed The Blood Type Diet?

Well, in quick summary preventive foods for Type O’s is high-protein diet – so I would recommend turkey meat, buffalo, and fish preferably not farm raised. For Type A's the optimal preventive diet is vegetarian based – making sure that your body gets fresh vegetables that don’t contain too much sugar like broccoli, asparagus, while staying away from starchy vegetables like potatoes.

Being on my blood type diet does not mean that you eat specially packaged foods – it simply means selecting types of foods and vegetables that are right for your body. That’s all.

Who are the best candidates for the Blood Type Diet? Are there certain illnesses for which this diet would be more helpful?

It is true that my clinic is international. It is true that I see some very complex cases. And it is true that people who are disappointed with their traditional medical treatment come to see me but simply put, the Blood Type Diet is ideal for everyone, sick or not everyone can benefit from eating healthy and eating what the body needs and can use to heal itself. Why wait ‘till you're ill to improve the quality of your health, or extend your life’s expectancy and lead a healthier life?  I think most would agree that aging will happen, but most want to age without carrying an oxygen tank, or be in a wheelchair, or be bed ridden. We all have expiration, but how we wish to get to that expiration date is up to the individual and the responsibility we take for our own health.

Where do you practice medicine?

I practice Naturopathic medicine in my 5,000 square ft. facility in Portsmouth, NH.  Our state-of-the-art, alternative treatments are from around the world. You can visit our website  or give us a call at 603-430-7600 for more information.