According to an international study published in Nature Medicine, in which the University of Florence and the Meyer University Hospital in the Tuscan capital also participated, the traditional African diet can reduce inflammation and strengthen our immune defenses against pathogens compared to a Western diet. The results highlight the impact of different types of diet on the immune system and metabolism after six weeks of dietary change. In reality, there are some things that don't add up in this study, and even considering the absolute reliability of Nature, one of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world, something doesn't add up.
How an African Diet Can Be Better Than a Western Diet
The study, coordinated by the University of Njimegen (Netherlands) and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (Tanzania), involved 77 healthy men living in both urban and rural Tanzania. Over a two-week period, some participants who had been eating a traditional African diet (which includes plenty of vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, and fermented foods) switched to a Western diet, while others who had been eating a Western diet in urban centers adopted a traditional African diet for the same period. A third group consumed a fermented banana drink (containing yeasts and lactobacilli) every day, and ten participants, as a control group, maintained their usual diet.
The transition to a Western diet contributed to a pro-inflammatory state and negatively affected several metabolic pathways associated with non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In contrast, returning to a traditional diet and consuming mbege had anti-inflammatory effects. Some of the positive changes in immune and metabolic profiles persisted even after the intervention ended, suggesting long-term benefits. Mbege is a traditional drink of the Chagga tribe, prepared with fermented bananas and millet. Fermentation enriches the drink with metabolites and bioactive microbes, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and lactobacilli, known for their beneficial effects on health.
The research, according to researchers Duccio Cavalieri and Paolo Lionetti, "stems from an idea we developed as part of the Transmic project and aims to establish the causal relationship between nutrition, gut microbiota, and human health, using African populations exposed to traditional or globalized diets as a model." "The experiment," the researchers conclude, "to which we also contributed with the analysis and interpretation of data and nutritional aspects, highlights the potential health risks associated with the abandonment of traditional diets, which is increasingly common in Africa, but also demonstrates how harmful a diet composed primarily of processed and high-calorie foods can be for Westerners."
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