Can Traditional African Diets Boost Immunity?
Researchers recently conducted a randomized clinical trial (RCT) which is the gold standard for testing the effects of health interventions to explore what happens when people switch between a typical Western diet and a traditional Kilimanjaro heritage diet. The study also looked at the impact of drinking Mbege, a fermented banana drink traditionally made by the Chagga people of Tanzania.
- Heritage-to-Western Diet Switch (23 men)These men normally ate a traditional African diet rich in vegetables, grains, and fermented foods. For two weeks, they switched to a Western-style diet full of processed, high-fat, high-sugar foods.
- Western-to-Heritage Diet Switch (22 men)These men normally consumed a Western-style diet. For two weeks, they switched to the African heritage diet.
- Mbege Group (22 men)These men continued their usual Western-style diet but drank one liter of Mbege daily for one week.
In each of the first two groups, five men acted as controls they stayed on their regular diets throughout the study so researchers could see what happened without any changes. Measurements were taken at the start, after the intervention, and again four weeks later to track both short- and longer-term effects.
What Is the Kilimanjaro Heritage Diet?
This traditional diet, followed by many in rural parts of Tanzania like the Chagga tribe, includes:
Green leafy vegetables
Legumes like beans
Plantains and root vegetables like cassava and taro
Whole grains like millet and sorghum
Fermented foods like Mbege
It's rich in fiber, plant nutrients (polyphenols), and beneficial microbes ingredients that have been linked to lower inflammation and better gut and immune health.
Key Findings: Western Diet vs. African Heritage Diet
The results of this study were striking:
✅ Switching to the heritage diet had anti-inflammatory effects, improving markers of immune and metabolic health.
❌ Switching to the Western diet triggered pro-inflammatory changes that can increase the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Even more impressively, some of these health benefits lasted up to 4 weeks after participants returned to their normal diets suggesting that short-term dietary changes can have a lasting impact.
What About Mbege?
Mbege, a slightly alcoholic (1–3%) fermented banana beverage, also showed promising effects. In just one week, drinking Mbege daily helped regulate the immune system:
It reduced excessive neutrophil (white blood cell) activation, which is often linked to chronic inflammation.
It boosted the body’s immune response to certain fungi like Candida, showing improved immune balance.
These benefits are likely due to both the nutrient content of bananas and millet and the beneficial microbes created during fermentation.
Why Does This Matter?
Across Africa and much of the developing world, traditional diets are disappearing—replaced by Western-style processed foods due to urbanization, economic shifts, and globalization.
But this study provides compelling evidence that preserving traditional food cultures may be essential for preventing chronic diseases. Diets rooted in native grains, vegetables, and fermented foods are not just culturally rich they’re biologically powerful.
The Bigger Picture
Western diets are often high in sugars, fats, and salt and low in fiber and nutrients, promoting gut imbalance, inflammation, and metabolic disorders.
Heritage diets, like the one studied here, are protective thanks to a synergy of natural, whole foods and beneficial microbes.
Chronic inflammation, triggered by poor diets, is now known to be a key driver of many serious illnesses.
What’s Next?
The study does have some limitations:
It was short-term.
Only men were included.
The sample size was relatively small.
Still, it lays the groundwork for larger, long-term studies and points to a promising path forward in nutritional immunology especially for communities seeking sustainable, culturally appropriate health solutions.
If you're looking for ways to support your immune system, your gut health, and your long-term wellbeing, you might not need to look further than the past. Traditional African diets rich in plants, fiber, and fermented foods offer powerful health benefits that modern science is only just beginning to fully understand.
And maybe, just maybe, it’s time to make room on the table for Mbege.
