ZOE Science & Nutrition Can a traditional African diet help protect against inflammation? | Quirijn de Mast & Tim Spector
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Jul 3, 2025 
Quirijn de Mast, an infectious disease specialist at Radboud University, shares insights from his groundbreaking study on traditional African diets in Tanzania. He highlights the dramatic health benefits of fermented foods, ancient grains, and legumes. Participants saw impressive improvements in immune function and gut health after switching away from processed foods. Quirijn emphasizes the need for dietary diversity to reduce inflammation, advocating for a return to these nutrient-rich traditional diets as a solution to rising chronic diseases.
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Core of Traditional African Diet
- Traditional African diets are predominantly plant-based with fibers, legumes, ancient grains, and fermented foods.
- These diets include unique grains like millet and sorghum with high fiber and low glycemic index, unlike common Western grains.
20-Year Tanzanian Collaboration
- Quirijn de Mast has collaborated for 20 years with Tanzanian scientists and observed rapid disease pattern change from infectious to lifestyle diseases.
- This inspired a focus on diet's impact on immune system and non-communicable diseases in the Kilimanjaro region.
Diet Swap Study Setup
- A dietary intervention swapped diets between rural (traditional) and urban (Western) young men near Kilimanjaro.
- The study measured immune function and gut microbiome effects after two weeks of diet change.
