Researchers have found that a newly developed diet inspired by the eating habits of non-industrialised societies can significantly reduce the risk of a number of chronic diseases – and are to share recipes with the public.
Industrialised diets—high in processed foods and low in fibre— have contributed to a substantial rise in chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart disease, in affluent countries.
A new paper shows that a newly developed diet that mimics eating habits in non-industrialissed communities led to significant metabolic and immunological improvements in a human intervention study.
In just three weeks the diet promoted weight loss, decreased bad cholesterol by 17 per cent, reduced blood sugar by 6 per cent and reduced C-reactive Protein (a marker of inflammation and heart disease) by 14 per cent.
These improvements were linked to beneficial changes in the participants’ gut microbiome, the home to trillions of bacteria that play a vital role in our health, influencing digestion, immunity, and metabolism.
The research was led by Professor Jens Walter, a scientist at University College Cork and Principal Investigator at APC Microbiome Ireland.
He said: “To counter this, we developed a diet that mimics traditional, non-industrialised dietary habits and is compatible with our understanding on diet-microbiome interactions.
“In a strictly controlled human trial, participants followed this diet and consumed L. reuteri, a beneficial bacterium prevalent in the gut of Papua New Guineans but rarely found in the industrialised microbiomes.”
The study demonstrated that the new diet entitled NiMe (Non-industrialised Microbiome Restore) diet enhanced short-term persistence of L. reuteri in the gut.
However it also improved microbiome features damaged by industrialisation, such as reducing pro-inflammatory bacteria and bacterial genes that degrade the mucus layer in the gut.
These changes were linked to improvements in cardiometabolic markers of chronic disease risk.
Although participants did not consume fewer calories on the NiMe diet, they lost weight, and the diet alone led to considerable cardiometabolic benefits.
In previous research, the Prof Walter’s team, studying the gut microbiome in rural Papua New Guinea, found that individuals there have a much more diverse microbiome, enriched in bacteria that thrive from dietary fibre, and with lower levels of pro-inflammatory bacteria linked to western diet.
This information was used to design the NiMe diet.
The NiMe diet shares key characteristics of non-industrialised diets:
- Plant-based focus, but not vegetarian: Primarily made up of vegetables, legumes, and other whole-plant foods. One small serving of animal protein per day (salmon, chicken, or pork).
- No dairy, beef, or wheat: Excluded simply because they are not part of the traditional foods consumed by rural Papua New Guineans.
- Very low in processed foods that are high in sugar and saturated fat.
- Fibre-rich: Fiber content was 22 grams per 1,000 calories—exceeding current dietary recommendations.
Prof Walter said: “Everybody knows that diet influences health, but many underestimate the magnitude.”
ProfPaul Ross, Director of APC Microbiome Ireland, said: “This study shows that we can target the gut microbiome through specific diets to improve health and reduce disease risk.
“These findings could shape future dietary guidelines and inspire the development of new food products and ingredients, as well as therapeutics, which target the microbiome”.
