Delhi, New Delhi:
Diets of various kinds all make claims to being the finest. The Mediterranean diet, which emphasises plant-based meals and healthy fats, is one of them. The Mediterranean diet is mostly composed of fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts, whole grains, extra virgin olive oil, omega-3 fatty acid-rich fish, cheese, and yoghurt. But scientists have discovered a new diet that may replace the Mediterranean diet in the near future.

Named after the Mount Kilimanjaro volcano, this is the Kilimanjaro diet in Tanzania. According to a Daily Mail article, Dutch researchers discovered that Tanzanians are healthier than those in Western countries because they eat more traditional, unadulterated foods. Men who adhered to the Kilimanjaro diet, according to the researchers, had stronger immune systems and noticeably lower levels of inflammation.

The Kilimanjaro diet consists of foods like beans, plantains, and okra as well as beverages like mbege, which is produced from millet and fermented bananas. The absence of processed foods in the diet, according to the researchers, lowers the risk of chronic illnesses and prevents inflammation, both of which lengthen life expectancy.

Dr. Quirijn de Mast, the research’s principal author and infectious disease expert at Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, said, “Our study highlights the benefits of these traditional food products for inflammation and metabolic processes in the body.”

Additionally, Dr. de Mast said, “At the same time, we show how harmful an unhealthy Western diet can be.”

The researchers selected 77 Tanzanian males in good health, with an average age of 25, for the study. A normal western meal consisting of processed sausages, white bread, and fries was required to be consumed for two weeks by 23 men who were on the Kilimanjaro diet. In contrast, 22 men who consumed western food were instructed to adhere to the Kilimanjaro diet for a period of two weeks. Additionally, 22 other men who were on a western diet were instructed to consume one serving of mbege daily for a week. Finally, five guys served as controls, sticking to their regular diets.

According to the findings, blood levels of inflammatory proteins were greater in those who shifted from the Kilimanjaro to the western diet. Additionally, their immune cells’ ability to fight off infections was diminished. The opposite result was seen by those who adopted the Kilimanjaro diet.

Dr. de Mast also said, “Inflammation is at the root of many chronic conditions, which makes this study highly relevant for Western countries as well.”