African Heritage Diets Beneficial for Immune System & Metabolism in Contrast to Western Diets, Research Reveals
African Heritage Diets Beneficial for Immune System & Metabolism in Contrast to Western Diets, Research Reveals
Traditional African diets are being replaced by Western-style diets due to urbanization, globalization and changing social norms. Research by the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College showed the health impacts of this shift.
The research was conducted in the Kilimanjaro region of Northern Tanzania among 77 healthy volunteers, who switched between heritage-style and Western-style diets during a two-week period.
Key findings:
▫Switching to a Western-style diet disrupted metabolic pathways linked to noncommunicable diseases;
▫Western-style diets promoted a pro-inflammatory state and impaired immune responses (cytokine production) to microbial stimulation;
▫Switching to a heritage-style diet had anti-inflammatory effects.
⏭ Finally, the research highlighted the importance of preserving indigenous dietary practices to reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa.
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