A group of islands in the Pacific ocean has been celebrated for their healthy dieting practices amidst fears over 'Western' food choices. Professor Jens Walter, of the University College Cork, is among the scientists keen to spotlight Papua New Guinea following an interesting discovery about the gut health of rural citizens. In 2015, his team compared the 'fecal microbiota' of US adults with that of individuals from two non-industrialised areas in Papua New Guinea. Analyses revealed that Papua New Guineans had 'greater gut bacterial diversity' - a factor linked with a potentially slashed risk of blood pressure and heart attacks, among other issues.
Fast forward to now, and Professor Walter's team has created a sort of hybrid diet known as the 'NiMe'. Short for 'non-industrialised microbiome restore', this adapts the practices from Papua New Guinea and several other nations in effort to bolster health and reduce disease risk. 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.". Adhering 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 contrary, its fibre requirements surpass current dietary recommendations at a value of 22 grams per 1,000 calories.
But it's not just Professor Walter raving about this diet. Peer-reviewed research published in January unveiled that its consumption not only promoted weight loss, but slashed bad cholesterol by 17%, blood sugar by 6% and reduced heart disease markers by 14% (C-reactive proteins). These results come as heart and circulatory diseases account for a quarter of all deaths in the UK, according to British Heart Foundation figures. That's the same as 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.".
