QUESTION: I am a 43 year old 'O' who has noticed a great improvement of my arthritis (sacroillitis) in one week following your diet. For the past few months, I have been trying homeopathic medicine for the arthritis: glucosamine sulfate and GDU (protolytic enzymes). The glucosamine sulfate alone did not help at all. The two together helped a little for a short time but the effectiveness ended when I aggravated my back doing yard work a month ago. Your diet is the first thing that has really made a difference. Could my improvement be due to a combination of the medicine and your diet?

ANSWER:

Although research documenting the positive effects of GLUCOSAMINE sulphate in treating arthritis are now beginning to appear with regularity, it is still far from a perfect therapy. In my own practice, I've found that about 60% of the arthritic patients get some form of symptomatic relief, though in most instances I have not seen much actual improvement in the joints themselves.

One aspect of glucosamine's recognized actions goes largely unnoticed, but is important with regard to the blood type diet theory. There is strong evidence, that glucosamine binds many food lectins, including WGA or wheat germ agglutinin. One of several well-designed studies documenting this also showed definite systemic uptake of wheat lectin, where it deposited on the walls of the blood vessels and lymph nodes.

Interestingly, the percentage goes DOWN in individuals who take CHONDROITIN sulphate in addition to glucosamine, as part of a regimen advocated in the bestseller "The Arthritis Cure." How could this be? One simple explanation is that chondroitin sulphate is actually comprised of long linked chains of the sugar acetylated galactosamine. You might remember that galactosamine is also the blood type A antigen. Thus, upon hydrolysis (acid breakdown) in the stomach, chondroitin becomes free A-antigen. This would not be to much of a problem in type A or AB, who recognize A antigen as "self," but could be a major problem in types O and B, who recognize A antigen as "non-self." In essence, taking chondroitin sulphate if you are either O or B is the chemical equivalent of giving yourself a bad blood transfusion.