BEST IELTS Academic Reading Test 482

BEST IELTS Academic Reading Test 482

IELTS Academic Reading Test

Blood Type Dieting

A link between ABO blood groups and diet was proposed by Dr. Peter. J. D’Adamo in his book “Eat Right For Your Type,” published a few years ago. Dr. D’Adamo claims that the ABO blood groups reveal the dietary habits of our ancestors and adherence to a diet specific to one’s blood group can improve health and decrease risk of chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease.

D’Adamo’s theory is based on the idea that each blood group has its own unique antigen marker and this marker reacts badly with certain foods, leading to all sorts of potential health problems and harmful weight gain. Furthermore, Dr. D’Adamo believes that levels of stomach acidity and digestive enzymes are linked with people’s blood types. Consequently, he says, by following a diet designed specifically for someone’s blood type, the body digests and absorbs food more efficiently, with the result that the subject loses weight.

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The theory is based on how humans developed during their existence. Dr. D’Adamo believes that because blood types evolved at different times throughout history, we should eat a diet based on the types of foods our ancestors typically ate at the time when our blood type first emerged. As humans migrated and were forced to adapt their diets to local conditions, the new diets provoked changes in their digestive tracts and immune systems, necessary for them to first survive and later thrive in their new habitats.

Different foods metabolised in a unique manner by each individual with a different ABO blood group probably resulted in that blood group achieving a certain level of susceptibility to the endemic bacteria, viruses and parasites of the area. This probably more than any other factor was what has influenced the modern day distribution of blood groups.

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Based on the blood type diet theory, group O is considered the ancestral blood group in humans and was the first to emerge. This is difficult to prove, but there are communities today that can provide evidence for this conclusion. There is an extraordinarily high percentage of blood group O people in isolated populations, as well as it being the most common in the world at large. Even though early migrations dispersed the gene for group O blood throughout the world, because of their geographic locations these unique societies have remained isolated from interaction with other populations.

If A, B and O had developed simultaneously, the isolated population groups would have had all of them. But these ‘old societies’ are group O, because genes for the later blood groups never had the opportunity to enter into their populations. They have remained unchanged. From a purely scientific point of view, chemical analysis of the group O antigen also reveals that, from a structural perspective, it is the simplest blood group and it serves as the backbone for the synthesis of the increasingly complex A, B and AB.

As a result, Dr. D’Adamo advises that the optimal diet for people with group O blood should resemble the high animal protein diets typical of the hunter-gatherer era, which matches this oldest of blood groups.

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Next came the emergence of blood type A, sometime around 15,000 B.C. By this time, the human ancestors had settled down into an agrarian culture. The creation of blood type A around this time meant our ancestors did well on a vegetarian-based diet and so Dr. D’Adamo recommends that blood group A’s should today follow a similar diet.

Blood type B supposedly evolved around 10,000 B.C thanks to humanity’s nomadic ancestors. They abandoned their farms and started wandering the land, constantly moving from place to place. Consequently, Dr. D’Adamo’s theory holds that blood group B’s today can get away with eating a varied diet that consists of most foods including meat, dairy, grains and vegetables.

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Finally came blood type AB, which evolved just 1,000 years ago. Dr. D’Adamo thinks this blood type helped our ancestors make the transition to contemporary times. This means that people with blood group AB can eat a mixture of the foods suitable for both blood group A and blood group B.

Medical experts universally agree that the theory is nonsense, and say there is absolutely no link between our blood group and the diet we eat. Consequently, you will not find qualified nutritionists or dietitians recommending this diet. There are also several concerns from nutritionists, namely that the diets recommended for blood groups O and A are considerably limited and cut out major groups of foods. In the long term, this can result in a poor intake of nutrients needed for good health. Cutting out dairy products, for example, will lead to poor intakes of calcium, which can put people at risk of osteoporosis, while avoiding meat can result in low intakes of iron, which can lead to anaemia.

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In spite of all this, blood type diets captivate people and have faithful adherents who swear to their efficacy. It is perhaps the anthropologic significance of the theory that fascinates. There is something very intellectually and emotionally riveting about understanding the ebb and flow of human experience and linking it to people’s health today. Not only is it therefore fascinating from an intellectual standpoint, but people also can see, feel and touch the modern day physical ramifications of these long ago events.

Complete each sentence with the correct ending (A – F) below. Write the correct letter (A – F)

27. D’Adamo claims that following a blood group diet can

28. D’Adamo claims that eating the wrong food can

29. Migration around the world to areas with different conditions can

A. explain why different blood groups evolved in different locations.

B. be done in groups at particular diet centres.

C. cause adverse bodily reactions leading to weight gain.

D. lead to incurable diseases.

E. improve the health of the dieter’s heart.

F. be the reason for certain facial characteristics.

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Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.

Diets According to Blood Groups
Blood GroupBackgroundDiet Required
O* The first, the most (30)__________ and the simplest * The (31) __________ for the other blood groups* Rich in animal protein due to (32)__________background of this time.
A* Humanity became an (33)__________ society.* Nutrition vegetarian-based.
B* Part of humanity became (34)__________ and left their farm life.* A varied diet.
AB* The most recent * AB facilitated the (35)__________ to modern life* A mixture of A and B foods
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Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer of the text?

In boxes 36 – 40 on your answer sheet write:

YES – if the statement agrees with the writer’s views

NO – if the statement doesn’t agree with the writer’s views

NOT GIVEN – if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

36. It is unlikely that people will be advised by a health professional to follow a blood group diet.

37. Supporters of the blood group diet assert the diet should be followed in conjunction with supplements.

38. A lack of dairy products in a diet can put people at risk of having too few red blood cells.

39. The idea of a relationship of the blood group diet with human evolution is responsible for people’s preoccupation with it.

40. The blood group migration theories have helped scientists to explain the incidence of various diseases throughout history.

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27. E

28. C

29. A

30. COMMON

31. BACKBONE

32. HUNTER-GATHERER

33. AGRARIAN

34. NOMADIC

35. TRANSITION

36. YES

37. NOT GIVEN

38. NO

39. YES

40. NOT GIVEN

IELTS Academic Reading Test

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