Conrad Onyango, Bird Story Agency…..
A new study has found that switching from a Western diet, high in processed foods, to a traditional African diet rich in plant-based foods can significantly reduce inflammation and enhance immune function and metabolic health – within just two weeks.
The research, conducted by Radboud University Medical Center and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, involved young men with a median age of 26 living in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania.
Billed as the first comprehensive examination of the health impacts of a traditional African diet, the findings highlight a potential breakthrough in the fight against lifestyle diseases across the continent.
“Preserving the consumption of heritage diets or incorporating indigenous and traditional foods into dietary practices could have a critical role in preventing and managing Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs),” said researchers of the study published in Nature Medicine, a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal which similarweb says has nearly 40 million visitors a month.
In a randomised controlled trial, researchers evaluated the initial eating habits of 77 healthy young men by using 24-hour food diaries recorded on nonconsecutive days, including one diary specifically collected during a festival or weekend.
The participants were divided into three groups.
The first group consisted of 23 rural men who typically followed a traditional Kilimanjaro-style diet, which is rich in green vegetables, legumes, plantains, root and tuber crops (including cassava and taro), and whole grains (such as millet and sorghum).
For two weeks, these men were switched to a Western-style diet consisting of calorie-dense processed foods, such as sausages, white bread with margarine, pancakes, and french fries, which are high in saturated fats, salt, and refined carbohydrates.
The second group included 22 urban men who typically consumed a Western-style diet but were switched to a traditional Kilimanjaro-style diet for the same review period.
In the final group, 22 men who usually ate a Western-style diet also incorporated Mbege, a traditional fermented drink made from bananas and millet, into their diet for one week.
To account for any external factors affecting the results, five participants from each of the first two groups continued with their usual diets.
At the end of the study, researchers found that men who adopted a Western diet instead of a traditional African diet experienced increased inflammation, weakened immune responses, and disruptions in their metabolic pathways linked to lifestyle-related diseases.
“In contrast, the switch to a largely plant-based heritage diet typical for the Kilimanjaro region and the fermented beverage primarily induced anti-inflammatory effects,” the researchers said.
Urbanisation and the increasing availability of processed foods in Africa — particularly due to the influx of foreign fast food brands in major cities — has changed dietary patterns, especially among the middle class, many of whom are abandoning traditional diets in favor of Western-style diets.
This shift towards processed foods has been linked to a rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and chronic inflammatory conditions.
“Chronic inflammation is a key driver of many NCDs.. The rapid rise in obesity and NCDs across Africa underscores the need for sustainable, region-specific interventions,” said the researchers in the study.
Over the past two decades, Africa has seen a significant increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), primarily due to unhealthy diets and pollution.
By 2030, NCDs are projected to surpass communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases combined in terms of mortality.
Currently, NCDs account for half of hospital bed occupancy and more than a third of deaths in Africa, predominantly affecting the younger population, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the NCD Alliance.
WHO estimates that the number of premature deaths from all NCDs in sub-Saharan Africa could rise to 3.8 million annually by 2030, representing 51% of premature mortality in the region alone.
For the entire African Union region, the total number of deaths due to NCDs, injuries, and mental health conditions is expected to at least triple by 2063, reaching 16.6 million per year, which would account for 89% of all deaths.
Another ‘comprehensive’ review by the Africa Food Research Network (AFRENET) in 2024 highlighted the significant potential of African diets in managing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in West Africa.
The review associated a group of plant foods, including lentils, chickpeas, beans, and peanuts- known for their high nutritional value- with various health benefits, such as a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases and improved weight management.
“Therefore, their inclusion in the diet holds great potential for addressing the NCD burden in West Africa,” said AFRENET.
Exploring and reviewing the potential health benefits of indigenous legume-based foods, particularly in relation to managing and controlling the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the region, the researchers from AFRENET said, could encourage a revival in their consumption.
To tame the growing number of deaths linked to lifestyle diseases, researchers are now advocating for robust studies in Africa’s heritage diets, saying they are largely understudied, and the field of nutritional immunology in this context is still emerging.
Policymakers, they say, often rely on findings from the Global North, which do not account for regional dietary, cultural and genetic differences.
“Our study provides direct evidence of the health risks of dietary westernization and the benefits of heritage diets and indigenous beverages, emphasizing the need for further research to explore their health impacts before they are lost to globalization, ensuring culturally appropriate and sustainable public health solutions,” the Radboud researchers stated.
‘While previous research has focused on other traditional diets, such as the Japanese or Mediterranean diet, 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,” said study author, Quirijn de Mast, in a press statement.
“Africa’s rich diversity in traditional diets offers unique opportunities to gain valuable insights into how food influences health”
