Dear Peter,

Thank you for your prompt response to my question, but as is usual in life, your answer brings up another question: Because there is this correlation between food allergies and the foods one should avoid based on blood type, I wondered if there is any way in which exposure to foods that are incompatible with one's blood type would lead to eventually a true allergic response. Especially if and when the gut mucosa is compromised by repeated exposure to these foods that might irritate it. Then the increased amounts of undigested foods crossing into the blood stream could trigger immune responses in addition to agglutination responses. Is this
a reasonable hypothesis?

Also, on a more practical note, I have some questions about the specifics of following the diet. Is an occasional meal containing food with lectins inappropriate for my blood type ok if I amavoiding them most of the time? I am in good health, and I am willing to put forth the effort to avoid the offending foods most of the time, but it is of course a much greater challenge to avoid certain foods 100% of the time (especially the wheat, corn, and dairy which are so ubiquitous in foods). Is the potential harm from the lectins a cumulative effect, where a little is not to bad but daily exposure leads to more definite harm to the body?

Finally, I have a question that arises from some additional
reading that I have done. I found an article by Laura Power in
the June, 1991 Townsend Letter that lists several foods as
containing panhemagglutinin lectins (i.e lectins that have been found to agglutinate all blood types). On this list are included some foods that are listed in your book as highly beneficial or at least neutral for my O blood type, for example pumpkin seeds, cherries, barley, asparagus and radishes.
Are you basing yourrecommendations on different sources, or are these foods triggering an agglutination that is beneficial or neutral fortype O blood people? She suggests that her data is based on observation of blood to which these foods were added. Is this the same method you used to develop your recommendations?

Well I have taken enough of your time, though I always seem to have more questions. Thank you very much for responding to these inquiries, as I am learning about all this in part as preparation for my future practice as a naturopathic physician.

Sincerely,
Dan