Hi there heidi, I've been on the diet for eight months and seeing real benefits. It has in fact sparked off a fascination with nutrition. As part of my reading round, I have recently come across a book "Food, Your Miracle Medicine" by Jean Carper that reports on varioustheories and research. There is a huge chunk on how beneficial wheat bran has proved to be in prevention of bowel cancer and in the shrinking of premalignant polyps. Also, it is pretty definate that it is wheat bran that is the most eficacious, not oat bran or rice bran. As an A type I found this interesting. However, Dr D'Adamo's advice is to cut down on wheat and certainly Bran is an avoid for me. Does Dr D'Adamo know of this research? I would be really interested in his evaluation of the credability of the studies. If the results really are as they have been reported in the book, would this be a case for the benefits of the bran outweighing the disadvantages as far as the blood type diet goes. I am in a quandry as to whether to include bran or not in my diet. Thanks Maggie

Hello, Maggie! It's nice to hear from you ~~ thank you for writing!

I have not read Jean Carper's book, and cannot comment on it specifically. Peter hasn't written about it, either, so ~ begging your indulgence, I'll give your question the old College try. I think it may not be as esoteric a matter as it first appears.

Bowel cancer usually arises from a long history of heavy stresses and poor diet which lead to a variety of serious illnesses -- diverticulitis, IBS, colitis, and cancer. For type A, a heavy meat, nightshade, hot spice, white flour and fat diet is murder on the colon. For a type O, a steady intake of grain, dairy, transfats, sugar, sodas, pork, and lots of processed foods providing little or no FIBER will get her to the same place.

Could this be the key to this treatment's efficacy? Did the individuals in Carper's reports eat little or no fiber of any kind before beginning the bran therapy? A person in terrible colonic shape who is given ANY kind of fiber may experience healing results if that is what they needed in the first place. Perhaps it was the vitamin E in the wheat bran PLUS the broom effect which helped these people far more than other kinds of bran. Or, simply the robust "clean sweep" may have done the trick for them. This is entirely a different mechanism from the lectin interactions which make wheat bran an avoid food for most of us; rather, it is a therapeutic method designed to get one job done in a hurry.

The caveat here, of course, is that many forms of intestinal disease will get worse rather than better if rough fiber like wheat bran or psyllium husks is introduced. In any case, a cancer prevention strategy must address more than one element in the diet.

The blood type plans by default are preventive and therapeutic. They recommend plenty of fiber from approved sources, live enzymes, food for our beneficial gut bacteria, and polyamine-reducing compounds. They eliminate foods which can cause major health difficulties -- including bowel cancer -- by supporting immune system strength (remember the vast immune functions performed by those healthy critters in a healthy colon!). And, unlike a universal quick-fix-in-a-jam, they are based upon the specific biochemistries of the people who use them, and confer unlooked-for benefits in their use.

Colon health is part of total health, approached through diet, stress reduction and exercise. High energy, sound elimination, and a peaceful mind are its hallmarks. With these tools in hand, I feel more than confident in avoiding wheat germ in favor of raw vegetables, fruits, nuts, and ground flaxseed, as part of the BTD whole. I hope you still do, as well!