A switch of just two weeks from a traditional African diet to a Western diet causes inflammation, reduces the immune response to pathogens, and activates processes associated with lifestyle diseases. Conversely, a traditional African diet rich in vegetables, fiber, and fermented foods has positive effects. This study, published in Nature Medicine, highlights the significant impact of diet on the immune system and metabolism.
Lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and chronic inflammatory conditions are surging across Africa, posing a growing challenge to healthcare systems throughout the continent. Increasing economic development, urbanization, and wider availability of processed foods have accelerated the adoption of Western eating habits in Africa. To understand the health consequences of this shift, researchers from KCMC University and KCRI in Tanzania have studied the effects of such dietary changes on health.
Traditional Tanzanian foods used in the study
Lifestyle Diseases
Seventy-seven healthy men from Tanzania, both urban and rural residents, participated in the
study. Some participants who traditionally ate an African diet switched to a Western diet for two
weeks, while others who ate a Western diet adopted a traditional African diet. A third group
consumed a fermented banana drink daily and ten participants maintained their usual diets
(control). The researchers comprehensively analyzed the function of the immune system, blood
inflammation markers, and metabolic processes at baseline, after the two-week intervention, and
again four weeks later.
Participants who switched to a Western diet exhibited an increase in inflammatory proteins in their
blood, alongside activation of biological processes linked to lifestyle diseases. Their immune cells
also responded less effectively to pathogens. Meanwhile, those who switched to a traditional
African diet or consumed fermented bana beverage (Mbege) showed a reduction in inflammatory
markers. Some of these effects persisted even four weeks later, indicating that short-term dietary
changes can have long-lasting effects.
Insights from Africa
This is the first study to comprehensively map the health effects of a traditional African diet. “Previous research has focused on other traditional diets, such as the Japanese or Mediterranean diet,” says Immunologist Dr. Godfrey Temba from KCMC University. “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. Temba finds it remarkable how significant the effects of diet are, even after just two weeks. “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 Western-style diet can be unhealthy. 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.”
Collaboration and Funding
KCMC University and KCRI collaborated on this study with international partners from, Radboud University Medical Centre in The Netherlands, Bonn, and Florence. The research was funded by the Joint Programming Initiative: A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life (JPI-HDHL) and ZonMW
About the Publication
This study is published in Nature Medicine: “Immune and metabolic effects of African heritage diets versus Western diets in men: a randomized controlled trial”
GS Temba, T Pecht, VI Kullaya, N Vadaq, MV Mosha, T Ulas, S Kanungo, L van Emst, L Bonaguro, J Schulte-Schrepping, E Mafuru, P Lionetti, MM Mhlanga, AJ van der Ven, D Cavalieri, LAB Joosten, RA Kavishe, BT Mmbaga, JL Schultze, MG Netea, Q de Mast. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03602-0.
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