Switching to a Western diet from a traditional African diet for as little as two weeks is linked with inflammation and a weakened immune response to pathogens, latest research has shown.
A new study from Radboud University Medical Center and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College in Tanzania has found that Western eating habits can also activate processes associated with lifestyle diseases.
High in fibre, vegetables and fermented foods, a traditional African diet is known to have a positive impact on people’s health.
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The number of lifestyle diseases across Africa are on the rise, with these conditions including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and chronic inflammatory diseases.
Western eating habits have become more common in Africa due to the wider availability of processed foods.
During the study, the team of researchers analysed the dietary patterns and health outcomes of 77 men from Tanzania, all of whom were classed as healthy at the beginning of the trial.
Throughout the two-week experiment, the participants who traditionally follow an African diet switched to a Western diet and those who ate a Western diet switched to a traditional African diet.
Meanwhile, a third group drank a fermented banana drink every day during the two-week trial, and 10 participants followed their usual diet as a control.
The results have highlighted that those who switched from a traditional African diet to a Western diet showed an increase in inflammatory proteins in their blood and their immune cells responded less effectively to pathogens.
However, the participants in the traditional African diet group and fermented drink group exhibited lower inflammatory markers.
Lead author Dr Quirijn de Mast said: “Previous research has focused on other traditional diets, such as the Japanese or Mediterranean diet.
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“However, there is just as much to learn from traditional African diets, especially now, as lifestyles in many African regions are rapidly changing and lifestyle diseases are increasing.”
Dr Quirijn de Mast added: “Africa’s rich diversity in traditional diets offer unique opportunities to gain valuable insights into how food influences health.
“The African diet includes plenty of vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, and fermented foods. Our study highlights the benefits of these traditional food products for inflammation and metabolic processes in the body.”
Read the full study in the journal Nature Medicine.
