An idyllic Pacific island nation has been hailed for their healthy food habits, amidst concerns over the ‘Western diet’. Professor Jens Walter, from University College Cork, is eager to shine a light on Papua New Guinea following an intriguing find on the gut health of its rural inhabitants.
Back in 2015, his team drew comparisons between the ‘fecal microbiota’ of American adults and those living in two non-industrialised regions of Papua New Guinea. The findings indicated that the people of Papua New Guinea possessed ‘greater gut bacterial diversity’ – a characteristic linked with a potentially slashed risk of blood pressure and heart attacks, among other issues.
Fast forward to now and Professor Walter’s group has invented a brand new hybrid diet known as ‘non-industrialised microbiome restore’ diet – or ‘NiMe’. This merges eating customs from Papua New Guinea and certain other nations to potentially increase wellbeing and diminish illness risks.
Writing for The Conversation, he explained: “The traditional diet in rural Papua New Guinea is rich in unprocessed plant-based foods that are full of fibre but low in sugar and calories, something I was able to see for myself on a field trip to Papua New Guinea.
“What sets NiMe apart from other diets is that it is dominated by vegetables (such as leafy greens) and legumes (such as beans) and fruit. It only contains one small serving of animal protein per day (salmon, chicken or pork), and it avoids highly processed foods.”
Sticking to the traditions of Papua New Guinea, the NiMe diet excludes beef, dairy, and wheat, while also cutting out high-sugar and fatty processed foods. On the flipside, its fibre requirements surpass current dietary recommendations at a value of 22 grams per 1,000 calories.
Professor Walter isn’t the only one singing its praises. Peer-reviewed research published in January has shown that following the NiMe diet can lead to weight loss, a 17% reduction in bad cholesterol, a 6% decrease in blood sugar levels, and a 14% drop in heart disease markers (C-reactive proteins).
These findings come as heart and circulatory diseases account for a quarter of all deaths in the UK, according to British Heart Foundation statistics. This is equivalent to 170,000 deaths each year, 480 deaths per day or one every three minutes.
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 disease risk. These findings could shape future dietary guidelines and inspire the development of new food products and ingredients, as well as therapeutics, which target the microbiome.”
Meanwhile, Dr Anissa Armet from the University of Alberta, a registered dietitian who helped design NiMe, added: “The recipes from the NiMe Diet will be posted to our Instagram (@nimediet) and Facebook pages, and they will also be included in an online cookbook soon. It is important to us to make these recipes freely available so that everyone can enjoy them and improve their health by feeding their gut microbiome.”