‘Landman’ Star Billy Bob Thornton, 70, Reveals the Restricted Diet Linked to His Rare Blood Type
The actor says his rare AB negative blood type changed the way he eats for good
Key Takeaways
- Thornton says his rare AB negative blood type left him allergic to wheat, dairy and most meats.
- Less than 1 percent of the world's population has AB negative blood, making it extremely rare.
- Doctors say AB negative blood is not a medical condition and typically won't affect daily life.
Actor Billy Bob Thornton, 70, is opening up about the restricted diet he’s adopted to stay healthy. In a recent podcast interview, the Landman star revealed that his AB negative blood type has resulted in him following what he called a “restricted diet.” But how common is it to adjust your diet based on your blood type? And is it really necessary? We spoke to an expert to find out.
What Billy Bob Thornton avoids on his restricted diet
Earlier this month, Thornton appeared on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast. During the conversation, Thornton said that he has AB negative blood, which he believes caused him to have a series of food allergies.
“Well, I’m allergic to wheat, dairy. I have type AB-negative blood, which is the rarest type in the world. It’s, like, less than 1 percent of the population of the world has it,” the actor said. “It means you have less digestive enzymes. That’s one of the things that goes along with it.”
Woman's World Answers
“I just assumed everybody felt like sh-it after they ate. I didn’t know, but anyway, I can’t have dairy, wheat… can’t eat meat, like pork or beef or any of that stuff,” Thornton continued.
What Thornton’s restricted diet allows him to eat
As for what he does eat, the actor said he’s on a very restricted diet. “I’m going to have some gluten-free chips with some dairy-free cream cheese,” Thornton said, before sharing a story that resulted in him eating a grape with spicy Dijon mustard.
“We were at this place, and normally in these green rooms, they got a spread. I mean, you can usually find something, you know?” he said. “And they had one little silver tray that was nothing but, like, salami and prosciutto and another tray full of crackers and stuff that I couldn’t have.”
“In the middle of the cracker thing, they had some red grapes and white grapes,” Thornton continued. “And I got a white grape. I’m like, ‘Oh, okay, so I’ll be bored as hell with this.’ And then I saw some spicy Dijon mustard, and I thought, ‘I wonder’. It was one of the best things I’ve ever had in my lifetime. So now it’s become a thing for me.”
What is AB negative blood?
According to Michael DeShields, MD, the clinical advisor of Discovery Institute in New Jersey “The ‘A’ and ‘B’ in AB negative refer to whether you have either A or B antigen markers on your red blood cell; the ‘negative’ indicates that you do not have the Rh factor protein [a type of protein found on the surface of red blood cells].”
Less than 1 percent of Americans have this blood type. For the ones that do, though, their blood is highly valued by doctors, since it’s considered to be the universal plasma donor. There are no medical symptoms associated with this sort of blood type, and only people with parents who provide one A,B or O blood type and one Rh factor (+ or -) can have it.
How to find out if you have AB negative blood
If you think you might have AB negative (AB-) blood or are simply curious, Dr. DeShields recommends simply going to get your blood work done.
“Most people only learn their blood type in medical contexts; from donating blood, from having routine blood tests done before having surgery or from other medical procedures,” he explains. “In addition to medical testing, there are many home blood typing kits available.”
Does having AB negative blood carry health risks?
Despite what Thornton said, Dr. DeShields assures that “AB negative blood is typically not going to affect your daily life. Blood type is not considered a disease nor a medical condition.”
“That being said, your blood type may play a role in your medical treatment depending upon the situation. If you need a blood transfusion, it may be difficult to find another donor with the same blood type. It could potentially present challenges during pregnancy, too,” he continues. “If you are pregnant and have an Rh-negative blood type, your doctor may monitor your blood closely in order to prevent potential complications in future pregnancies. This is easily prevented today using [a specialized injection.]”
He also notes that “Research continues into understanding how blood type might influence your risk for developing certain conditions, such as clotting disorders, infections or heart disease, although these connections are usually relatively weak.”
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