Connection between ADHD and Blood Type

[Anonymous]

Dr. Jain,

Is there a correlation between ABO or Rh blood type and ADHD? The reason I ask is that I’m a big fan of the evolutionary theory of ADHD and I had heard that Type O was the original blood type. Also, that blood type diet may be quackery, but the description of Type O is an interesting read for an ADHDer (http://www.dadamo.com/bloodtype_O.htm)

…leadership, extroversion, energy and focus are among their best traits. Type O’s can be powerful and productive, however, when stressed Type O’s response can be one of anger, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

Sounds familiar. Apparently there was a study in China that linked A and O type to ADHD (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19470260). I wonder if you’ve seen similar studies or what your thoughts are.

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[Curlymoe115]

Blood type diet worked for me. Tried a lot of other diets and this is the only one that did work. I’m an O and my spouse is A. Both of us are ADHD. My parents are O and A both ADHD. My grandparents on the maternal side were O and AB- both ADHD. My kids are A and both ADHD. Coincidence or not. Who knows.

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[Bibliophile]

All type A positive in my family and more than 5 individuals with ADHD.

You might be interested in this archived thread http://www.addforums.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-91251.html concerning Barkely’s dismissal of Thom Hartmann’s evolutionary theory of ADHD. I am not a Hartmann supporter as he grossly generalizes ADHD traits and tries to pair them up with what he thinks would make for a good hunter, when many of the same traits would be a detriment to hunting. It is a nice metaphor, but only that. He is trying to put a positive spin on a set of behaviours. The fact that ADHD is a spectrum disorder also suggests that it is not just one gene at work and that it does not represent a single type of human, who is different than others.

I have yet to see any double blind scientific support for the blood-type diet. It strikes me as similar to astrology, we see what we want to see in it.

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[Bibliophile]

About the cited study:

The sample of 96 children is relatively small, but larger than some university studies I have seen on ADHD. I don’t see a normal here, what are they basing this against? What is the prevalence for B blood type though? A correlation is not a causation. It could also be a statistical anomaly. Do they differentiate severity of ADHD? How was the ADHD diagnosed in children? What happens in adults with ADHD?

I see that this blog discusses the study and blood type http://adhd-treatment-options.blogspot.com/2009/05/does-blood-type-affect-adhd.html . The website does look at the science, but has some questionable conclusions and treatment. It does best when discussing genes I suppose.

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[Anonymous]

librarian_chef: thanks for the link. Interesting discussion. I’m not a big Thom Hartmann fan (I pretty much disagree with everything non-ADD related he says), but the theory is a very interesting one. I do believe in evolution, and the fact that at least 5% of people have ADHD means that at some point, there was either an evolutionary benefit to having ADHD or it was at a minimum not an evolutionary drag.

That’s not to say that it’s a “gift” in the sense that it should be embraced and nurtured. If Hartmann is right, then that 5% of the population is ill-equipped to deal in the modern, ordered world. There is a lot of evolutionary baggage out there. It’s analogous to your appendix. It (apparently) was useful in a different environment, when humans ate leaves. Now, however, your appendix can cause serious problems if not treated.

Your Table of Contents, however, is harmless.

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[Bibliophile]

From an evolutionary standpoint, all that mattered was that one’s genes are passed down. This means that viability of the organism need only focus on years that something is fertile. ADHD could have a genetic advantage at attracting a particular type of mate. The mate need not know that the individual’s ADHD was there or that it got in the way of other activities as long as it led to procreation. We must also remember that the genetic origins of ADHD would most likely pre-date monogamy, i.e. long-term coupling. After all, impulsivity can create a bad-boy image that might attract a mate. The mate would not need to assess how great a hunter someone was or how reliable. Also, the impulsivity might encourage that individual to cheat on their mate more often, which would lead to greater occurrence of that gene passing down.

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[billd]

>>Blood type diet worked for me. Tried a lot of other diets and this is the only one that did work. I’m an O and my spouse is A. Both of us are ADHD. My parents are O and A both ADHD. My grandparents on the maternal side were O and AB- both ADHD. My kids are A and both ADHD. Coincidence or not. Who knows. <<

Since ADHD and blood types are both loosely linked to genetics……. I fail to see a correlation since the odds are that each will be passed down anyway.

My guess is that if you can roll your tongue, then so could your grandfather or grandmother – so perhaps linked to ADD?

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[Anonymous]

I’m not sure I agree that monogamy and ADHD are not complimentary. ADHD may involve distractability and impulse control, but it also comes with a well developed capacity for emotion and loyalty. Even if we assume an ADHD spouse is likely to have issues remaining faithful (I don’t know of any studies that say this), that does not mean they would not remain married or fail to support their offspring. In any event, most hunter/gatherer societies were/are monogamous (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadza_people#Social_structure) Whether or not the father and mother remained paired or exclusively paired, the community was tribal and the father would still (directly or indirectly) provide for the child.

Hunter/gathering was a very unstable lifestyle. People lived longer and their offspring had a better chance of survival if they could manage (1) surviving attacks by competing tribes or predators; (2) finding and obtaining food and (3) managing a never-ending series of life or death crises. Being able to plan long term was a nice to have, but not an evolutionary necessity. Hartmann’s point is that this crisis lifestyle is where the ADHD traits are an asset over the long-range planning and executive function skills.

Again, that’s not to say ADHD is a gift. Take that person who excels in hunter/gathering and put them in a stable environment, and those assets become liabilities. They are no longer motivated without the crisis, and are likely to develop problems adapting. The restlessness that helped them compete for food and avoid predators is now a continuity problem. The impulsivity and distractability that kept them alert to danger is now burden and a huge waste of energy. The creativity that allowed them to build shelter out of local resources is now just a personality trait that keeps their friends amused.

Today, survival is more about, and your mate is more interested in, salary, job potential and providing security for their offspring. A healthy lifestyle involves long-term planning, contributing to your 401(k), eating in moderation and stable, strong relationships. Which means, sadly, today’s version of evolutionary advantages are remembering to put cover sheets on your TPS reports and sending thank you cards after birthdays and holidays. Not stuff ADDers are good at.

I believe we are, however, still good at managing a crisis. Maybe it’s because we learn how to manage and live crisis to crisis because, as Barkley says, we are unable to see and plan ahead. Maybe it’s innate. Hartmann says it’s innate, and I presume Barkley is saying it’s learned behavior.

I do agree with Barkley that calling it a gift, or confusing the issue leads to more misunderstanding in the general public and ultimately hurts the cause (i.e., awareness, acceptance and adaptation).

PS, this is so much more fun than doing work at work.

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[Bibliophile]

Poor impulse control and poor emotional regulation, the hallmarks of ADHD (especially the combined type) would lead people astray more often. I am not saying you or I per se as there are always other mitigating social and behavioural factors. Also, monogamy among humans is not as pervasive as you might think, and it certainly isn’t in the animal kingdom. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monogamy#Evolutionary_history_of_monogamy

The Hadza are ONE hunter/gatherer society. They may or may not be indicative of all. Hard to say how they would compare with other tribes 10,000 years ago or more. How would more dispersed or less tribal societies behave? There is still cheating in the Hadza http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hbe-lab/acrobatfiles/mate%20prefs%20of%20hadza.pdf.

I disagree with the advantages stated by Hartmann of ADHD for hunting/gathering. Many of his descriptions of ADHD do not reflect moderate to severe impairment. For example, in my view hyperfocusing, which is not a controlled behaviour for most ADHD individuals would get in the way of hunting, e.g. perseverating about a broken nail, a cloud, a little chipmunk while your prey gets away. While most hunters would practice their hunting skills, e.g. throwing their spears again and again, to master the art, the ADHD individual is doing something else as that was repetitive and boring. I want to see evidence that ADHD impaired people are truly better in a crisis. Studies, not anecdotal commentary.

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