Meet the NiMe Diet: a revolutionary approach that combines ancient dietary wisdom with modern science to boost health markers and gut microbiome diversity, leading to notable improvements in weight, cholesterol and blood sugar.
Researchers have discovered that a new diet, inspired by the traditional eating habits of non-industrialized societies, can significantly reduce the risk of several chronic diseases. They also plan to make the diet’s proceeds available to the public.
In wealthy countries like Ireland, modern diets – high in processed foods and low in fiber – have been linked to a sharp rise in chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
Important Health Benefits of the NiMe Diet
According to a study published today (January 23) in the renowned scientific journal CellA diet designed to replicate the eating habits of non-industrialized communities has shown remarkable health benefits in a human trial. After just three weeks, participants saw significant improvements in their metabolism and immune function. The diet led to:
- Promoted weight loss
- reduction in bad cholesterol by 17%
- reduction in blood sugar by 6%
- reduction in C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation and heart disease) by 14%
Microbiome improvements and study methodology
These improvements were linked to beneficial changes in participants’ gut microbiome, which is home to billions of bacteria that play a vital role in our health, influencing digestion, immunity and metabolism. The research was carried out by an international team of scientists led by Professor Jens Walter, a leading scientist at University College Cork, where he holds a Research Ireland Chair. The human trial was carried out at the University of Alberta in Canada, Professor Walter’s former institution.
“Industrialization has had a huge impact on our gut microbiome, likely increasing the risk of chronic diseases,” explained Professor Walter, who is also a principal investigator at APC Microbiome Ireland, a world-renowned Irish research center.
“To counter this, we developed a diet that mimics traditional, non-industrialized eating habits and is compatible with our understanding of diet-microbiome interactions. In a strictly controlled human trial, participants followed this diet and consumed L. reuteria beneficial bacteria widespread in the gut of Papua New Guineans but rarely found in industrialized microbiomes.
NiMe Diet Details and Benefits
The study demonstrated that the new diet called NiMeTM (Non-industrialized Microbiome Restore) improved the short-term persistence of L. reuteri in the intestine.
However, it also improved features of the microbiome damaged by industrialization, such as reducing pro-inflammatory bacteria and bacterial genes that break down 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 resulted in considerable cardiometabolic benefits.
NiMe Diet Design Principles
In previous research, Professor Walter’s team, studying the gut microbiome in rural Papua New Guinea, found that people there had a much more diverse microbiome, enriched in bacteria that thrive on dietary fiber and with lower levels of pro-inflammatory bacteria linked to the Western diet. This information was used to design the NiMeTM diet.
The NiMeTM The diet shares key characteristics of non-industrialized diets:
- Plant-based, but not vegetarian: mainly made up of vegetables, legumes, and other whole plant foods. A small portion 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 eaten by people in rural Papua New Guinea.
- Very low in processed foods high in sugar and saturated fat.
- High in fiber: The fiber content was 22 grams per 1,000 calories, exceeding current dietary recommendations.
Societal impact and future directions
“Everyone knows that diet influences health, but many underestimate the extent of it,” Professor Walter said.
Commenting on the study, Professor Paul 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 the risk of disease. These findings could shape future dietary guidelines and inspire the development of new food products and ingredients, as well as therapeutic treatments targeting the microbiome.
“Recipes from the NiMe diet will be published on our Instagram (@nimediet) and Facebook pages, and they will also soon be included in an online cookbook. It is important for us to make these recipes freely available so that everyone can benefit from them and improve their health by nourishing their gut microbiome,” said Dr. Anissa Armet of the University of Alberta, a registered dietitian who designed the diet. NiMe and one of the main authors of the publication.
Reference: “The cardiometabolic benefits of a non-industrialized diet are linked to the modulation of the intestinal microbiome” January 23, 2025, Cell.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.12.034
