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Just Two Weeks on a Western Diet Triggers Inflammation and Weakens Immunity, Study Finds
Akshay Naik 15 April 2025
Life
A groundbreaking study conducted in Tanzania has found that even short-term changes in diet can have a profound impact on the human immune system. Researchers discovered that adopting a Western-style diet for just two weeks increased inflammation, weakened immune response and activated biological processes linked to lifestyle diseases. In contrast, switching to a traditional African diet rich in vegetables, fibre and fermented foods produced significant anti-inflammatory benefits—some of which lasted even after returning to normal eating habits.
 
The findings, published in Nature Medicine, highlight how dietary habits are shaping health outcomes in Africa and beyond. The research was led by scientists from Radboud University Medical Center (Radboud UMC) in the Netherlands and the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Tanzania.
 
With rising urbanisation, economic development and greater access to processed foods, many African communities are rapidly shifting towards Western eating patterns. This has coincided with a surge in lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, cardio-vascular disease and chronic inflammatory conditions—posing a growing challenge to healthcare systems across the African continent.
 
To better understand the health consequences of this nutritional transition, the study recruited 77 healthy Tanzanian men from rural and urban areas. Participants were divided into several groups: one group switched from a traditional African diet to a Western one for two weeks; another shifted in the opposite direction; and a third consumed a daily fermented banana drink. A control group of 10 individuals maintained their usual diets throughout the study.
 
Researchers conducted extensive analyses before, during and after the intervention, tracking immune function, inflammation markers and metabolic processes. The results were striking.
 
Participants who adopted the Western diet showed a spike in inflammatory proteins in their blood and a diminished immune response to pathogens. In contrast, those who switched to the traditional African diet—or consumed the fermented drink—exhibited reductions in inflammation, with some of the benefits evident even four weeks later.
 
“This is the first study to comprehensively map the health effects of a traditional African diet,” said associate professor and internist, Dr Quirijn de Mast from Radboud UMC. “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. Africa's rich diversity in traditional diets offers unique opportunities to gain valuable insights into how food influences health.”
 
Dr De Mast also emphasised the speed and significance of the changes observed. “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. At the same time, we show how harmful an unhealthy Western diet can be. It typically consists of processed and high-calorie foods, such as French fries and white bread, with excessive salt, refined sugars and saturated fats. Inflammation is at the root of many chronic conditions, which makes this study highly relevant for Western countries as well.”
 
The study underscores the powerful role food plays in regulating immune and metabolic health and raises questions about how dietary shifts in developing countries may be contributing to the growing global burden of chronic disease.
 
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