Move over, Mediterranean diet—a new study suggests this diet may do more for your health and lifespan
Industry Buzz
“Previous research has focused on other traditional diets, such as the Japanese or Mediterranean diet. 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.” — Authors, Radboud University Medical Center press release
The global transition toward Western-style diets—think ultra-processed foods loaded with saturated fat, refined carbs, and additives—has accompanied a steep rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs). According to the World Health Organization, NCDs now cause more than 75% of all non-pandemic deaths worldwide, with over 32 million of those in low- and middle-income countries.[]
Even though this link is well known from an epidemiological standpoint, there’s still a lack of solid, controlled studies in humans that explain exactly how it works.
But a recent randomized controlled trial out of Tanzania offers new insight into how changing your diet can actually shift inflammation levels and the way your immune system responds.[]
About the study
The Tanzanian study, published in Nature Medicine,[] enrolled 77 healthy young men from both rural and urban regions. Participants were randomized to one of three arms, in which they would adopt a Western diet, switch from Western to traditional African dietary patterns, or continue Western dietary intake while supplementing with the fermented banana-millet beverage Mbege. The African heritage diet was characterized by unprocessed whole grains, tubers, legumes, and fermented foods.
Over a 2-week period, the investigators monitored cytokine release profiles, transcriptomic immune signatures, gut microbial composition, and systemic metabolite changes.
Individuals who transitioned to a Western-style diet exhibited a significant rise in pro-inflammatory cytokines (including TNF-α, IL-6), accompanied by reduced ex vivo leukocyte response to microbial stimuli—hallmarks of maladaptive “trained immunity.”
In contrast, reverting to an African heritage diet was associated with increased anti-inflammatory markers and restoration of microbial diversity.
The researchers cautioned, however, that the Mbege drink must be properly prepared to avoid risks from alcohol content or contamination.
Diet’s impact on immunity
The corresponding author of the study, Quirijn de Mast, an internist from the Radboud University Medical Center in The Netherlands, commented on the study in a press release.[] “Previous research has focused on other traditional diets, such as the Japanese or Mediterranean diet. 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.”
“The African diet includes plenty of vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, and fermented foods,” he added.
The immunological effects observed in this short-term dietary intervention are consistent with earlier research from high-income countries, such as the US-based PREDICT studies, which have documented postprandial inflammatory and metabolic responses to processed food intake.[][]
Similarly, the Stanford fermented foods trial demonstrated that fermented food consumption alone can enhance microbial diversity and reduce markers of systemic inflammation within 10 weeks.[]
Long-lasting impacts
Trained immunity, a term describing lasting changes in innate immune function, can be maladaptive when driven by nutrient-poor, pro-inflammatory dietary inputs.[]
Interestingly, in the Tanzanian study, some negative immune effects from switching to a Western-style diet lingered for weeks, even after stopping the intervention. This included ongoing elevated inflammatory markers and blunted immune cell activity. Conversely, the benefits from moving to a traditional diet also persisted, hinting at possible long-term immune reprogramming.[]
Implications for your practice
The clinical implications of these findings are particularly relevant for physicians managing patients with, or at risk of, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, and other inflammation-driven conditions.
According to Dr. Quirijn, “Inflammation is at the root of many chronic conditions, which makes this study highly relevant for Western countries as well.”[]
Chronic low-grade inflammation has been established as a unifying mechanism underlying many NCDs.[] Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-6, and TNF-alpha levels have been linked to adverse outcomes across a spectrum of diseases ranging from type 2 diabetes[] to Alzheimer's disease.[[]