Written by Tim Rigby
We wouldn't go quite that far, however some recent studies have suggested that a diet high in saturated fats can re-program the immune system. What does that mean for us? Well, let's find out.
A team of scientists from Portland State University (Oregon) studied the influence of a diet high in saturated fats in groups of mice and achieved some contrasting discoveries. Surprisingly, there’s a bit of good news: it seems the saturated fats consistently re-programmed their immune systems, subsequently helping the mice build a better “short-lasting innate immunity” to ward off infection. So far, so good.
However, as you’d expect, such a diet is a double-edged sword which also carries some significant detriments. The most impactful negative here is that such a diet made the mice more susceptible to systemic inflammatory conditions including sepsis. This is a great concern, because it rapidly transforms a relatively minor infection into one that spreads throughout the entire body and can effectively poison the blood.
As applied to humans, a diet high in saturated fats is not recommended, despite the popularity of the so-called “keto” diet fad sweeping the western world. When people begin a “keto” diet, they severely lower the amount of carbohydrates consumed and quickly lose a lot of weight due to the water loss. Consuming high saturated fats, of course, will not quicken the rate of fat loss. This study was published in the journal eLife.