Diet and Lifestyle

Are the Best Digestive Enzyme Supplements Blood Type Specific?

By Peter D'Adamo, ND

There are literally thousands of digestive enzyme supplements out there and available to the general public. Most are rudimentary; however, a few are formulated in a manner that is quite imaginative and inspired.

Over my all-too-many years in practice, I’ve used many quite successfully in my patients, particularly in situations where the person’s absorption abilities have become compromised, such as with aging, and a slew of digestive complaints ranging from the rare to the everyday variety.

Just like the process of optimizing one’s food selection, the typical digestive enzyme formulas lean too heavily on the one-size-fits-all mantra. Perhaps it eases inventory control or simplifies marketing. But like most clinical observations I’ve made over the years, and as they say on social media, “it’s complicated.”

However, close to three decades after the publication of Eat Right for Your Type, many clinicians and nutritionists are surprisingly unaware of these extensively reported differences. For example, blood type and secretor status have a major influence on the bacteria that inhabit our digestive tract, the so-called microbiome.

Variations between the blood types regarding the production and array of digestive enzymes have been extensively reported in medical literature. In fact, the level of certain digestive enzymes can vary by as much as a four-fold difference when one considers just ABO blood type and secretor status.

That’s why I thought it was important to develop  a line of enzymes that took the strengths and weaknesses of each blood type into account. Now, after over two years of development and testing, we’re ready to release these new TypeZyme™ formulas (digestive enzymes personalized for your blood type).

Let's take a look at what drives each blood type specific formula.

TypeZyme O is a natural supplement specific to Blood Type O.

Normally a digestive powerhouse, Type O can easily trip up with its breakdown and metabolism of carbohydrates. Thus, while TypeZyme O provides general protein and fat breakdown support via the inclusion of ox bile and bovine pancreatin, the main focus of the formula is to help enhance carbohydrate breakdown, a critical function for this blood type, and whose improper function typically may result in bloating, dysbiosis and weight gain.

It does this by synergizing two critical enzymes needed for proper carbohydrate metabolism: amylase and cellulase.

• The amylase enzyme helps the body to break down carbohydrates. It is normally made by the pancreas and salivary glands in the mouth.
• Cellulase aids in the breakdown of cellulose, the main constituent of plant fiber and roughage. Cellulase also helps in the breakdown of harmful microbial biofilms, which can lead to increased inflammation in this blood type.
• Finally, cellulase helps to release healthy antioxidant compounds otherwise trapped in the food.

TypeZyme A is a natural supplement specific to Blood Type A.

Adequate stomach acid levels, critical for initiating the breakdown of animal protein, are often lacking in Blood Type A.

• This formula uses betaine HCL as a gentle assist to the first stage of protein breakdown. Betaine is a substance that's made in the body. It's involved in liver function, and cellular reproduction, while also helping the body metabolize an amino acid called homocysteine – an added plus for Type A, due to the link between homocysteine and artery disease, a major risk factor for this blood type.
• To support the second stage of protein digestion, TypeZyme A employs two protein-busting enzymes, a standard protease, and a special acid-stable form of protease as well.
• Because Type A often has the lowest levels of critical intestinal enzymes known as phosphatases, I’ve included lipase in the formula to assist in fat breakdown.
• Finally, the formula rounds out with a synergistic dose of the plant enzyme bromelain, which helps condition the gut and acts like a gentle detergent throughout the digestive system.

TypeZyme B is a natural supplement specific to Blood Type B.

Healthy fats are vital for the proper function of the nervous and immune systems of Blood Type B, but stress, aging and illness can block the adequate production of critical elements known to be required for proper lipid breakdown and assimilation.

• That’s why TypeZyme B, like the Type AB formula, uses a unique combination of ox bile and lipase to help activate the production of critical fat-busting machinery.
• Breakdown of starches can be a problem with Type B, so TypeZyme B supplies a significant dose of high-activity amylase, an enzyme that helps break down sugars and aids in gut repair.
• Like Type O, the proper diet for Type B requires significant protein, the breakdown of which can diminish with age and genetics. In both blood types, I’ve had very good clinical success using pancreatin, a mixture of several digestive enzymes produced by the secreting cells of the pancreas. Unique to TypeZyme B, however, is the use of pancreatin from sheep sources versus the Type O formula which uses pancreatin derived from cattle.

TypeZyme AB is a natural supplement specific to Blood Type AB.)

Although I’m fond of describing the Blood Type AB food plan as the “best of both kingdoms,” there are excellent reasons why it was called “The Enigma” in Eat Right for Your Type.

Type AB works like Type A here, Type B there, and Type AB everywhere else. Because of this, I designed TypeZyme AB to “cover all the bases,” but in a way that also respects the unique characteristics of this rare blood type.

• Like Blood Type A, Type AB requires fat-breakdown support, so the formula features a significant dose of the fat-digesting enzyme lipase.
• Like Type O, Type AB can have difficulties breaking down starches, so TypeZyme AB packs a significant dose of the starch-breakdown enzyme amylase, an enzyme that is normally found in saliva and the upper intestinal tract.
• As with Type B, I’ve always enjoyed good clinical success with an old, time-tested digestive aid, ox bile and have added a synergistic amount of this important fat emulsifier.
• Finally, the formula rounds out with a synergistic dose of the plant enzyme bromelain, which helps condition the gut and acts like a gentle detergent throughout the digestive system.

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