‘Non-Industrial’ Style Diet May Reduce Chronic Disease Risk

Researchers have found that a newly developed diet inspired by the eating habits of non-industrialized societies can significantly reduce the risk of a number of chronic diseases – and plan to share recipes with the public.

Industrialized diets – big on processed foods and low in fiber – have contributed to a substantial increase in chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease, in affluent countries like Ireland.

An article published in Cell shows that a newly developed diet that mimics dietary habits in non-industrial communities led to significant metabolic and immunological improvements in a human intervention study. In just three weeks, the diet:

• Promoted weight loss
• reduction of bad cholesterol by 17%
• Blood sugar reduction of 6%
• Reduction in C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation and heart disease) by 14%

These improvements were linked to beneficial changes in participants’ gut microbiome, 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 profession in Ireland. The human trial was carried out at the University of Alberta in Canada, Professor Walter’s former institution.

“Industrialization has radically impacted our gut microbiome, likely increasing the risk of chronic diseases,” explained Professor Walter, who is also a principal investigator at APC Microbiome Ireland.

“To counter this, we developed a diet that mimics what is prevalent in the Papua New Guinean gut but rarely found in industrialized microbiomes.”

The study demonstrated that the new diet titled “Nime” (non-industrial microbiome restoration) enhanced the short-term persistence of L. reuteri in the gut.

However, it also improved microbiome features damaged by industrialization, such as reducing pro-inflammatory bacteria and bacterial genes that break down the mucus layer in the gut. These changes have been 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, Professor Walter’s team, studying the gut microbiome in rural Papua New Guinea, found that individuals there have a much more diverse microbiome compared to a Western diet. This information was used to design the NIME diet.

The NIME scheme shares key characteristics of non-industrial schemes:

• Plant-based, but not vegetarian focus: mostly made up of vegetables, legumes, and other whole 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 consumed by rural Papua New Guinea.
• Very low-processing foods high in sugar and saturated fat.
• High in fiber: The fiber content was 22 grams per 1,000 calories, exceeding current dietary recommendations.

“Everyone knows that diet influences health, but many underestimate the magnitude,” 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 results could shape future dietary guidelines and inspire the development of new food products and ingredients, as well as therapeutics, that target the microbiome.”

“Recipes from The Nime Diet will be published on our Instagram (@nimediet) and Facebook pages, and they will also be included in an online cookbook. It is important for us to make these recipes freely available so that everyone can benefit from it and improve their health by nourishing their gut microbiome,” said Dr. Anissa Armet of the University of Alberta, a registered dietitian who designed the Nime diet and one of the lead authors of the publication.