Re: Fast food fever: reviewing the impacts of the Western diet on immunity
Thank you Emily, a very important article IMHO.
Here NIH is writing down what has been in my mind for years. Also WHO is paying more attention to chronic diseases lately.
When we look at the burden of morbidity and mortality: it are the chronic diseases which take the heaviest toll, world wide.
IMHO the persons most prone to complications of infectious diseases are the persons most affected by chronic diseases. We can see this with influenza, with the new Coronavirus, Q-fever and other infectious diseases.
The new normal is a compromised immune system. Directly related to the Western Diet and the Western (sedentary) lifestyle. Resulting in chronic diseases. Making you vulnerable for infectious diseases.
This article mentions many ( possible) mechanisms ("pathways"). For instance:
- you produce less leptins when you have overweight, leptins are important regulators for among other things your immunesystem.
- your gut bacteria - which are in fact your most important immune system - are degraded by the Western Diet and Western sedentary Lifestyle.
- etc, etc, etc...
So: you change your diet and your lifestyle and your health will improve?
It is not that easy.... . You have to fight the Food "science", and the Medical "science" sponsored by Big Food, Big Agriculture, Big Pharma and you will have to fight many more things. Food and lifestyle are very close to you, makes it hard to look at it, talk about it, without loads of emotion and confusion.
Talking about changing food and lifestyle: first you are ignored, than they go to war. Prof Tim Noakes from South Africa for instance, is under fierce attacks.
That is why I hesitated to post on this subject. I don't want to drag FT in a war...
In summary, there is enough quality, direct human evidence to conclude that many of the dietary choices in today’s modern society appear to have harmful impacts on our immune system and likely on the immune system of our offspring
This NIH article seems to be ignored, did not read much about in the press....,
