Fond of fatty food items? They may lower immunity
genes linked to the immune system, brain function, and potentially COVID-19 risk in a new study. Researchers said that it was the long-term consumption of high-fat diets that were seen to cause the observed changes, and that readers should not panic about a single meal.
The researchers at the University of California — Riverside (UCR), US, fed mice three different diets over the course of 24 weeks where at least 40 per cent of the calories came from fat.
They then looked at all four parts of the mice's intestines, along with their microbiome. A fourth control group of mice was fed a low-fat diet.
Compared to the low-fat diet group, all the other three groups were found to experience «concerning» changes in gene expression.
These groups were made to consume diets based on saturated fat from coconut oil, monounsaturated, modified soybean oil and unmodified soybean oil high in polyunsaturated fat.
«Word on the street is that plant-based diets are better for you, and in many cases that's true. However, a diet high in fat, even from a plant, is one case where it's just not true,» said Frances Sladek, a UCR cell biology professor and senior author of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Further, it may not be possible to «just exercise away these effects», according to UCR microbiologist Poonamjot Deol, the study's co-first author.
«Some people think, 'Oh, I'll just exercise more and be okay'. But regularly eating this way could be impacting your immune system and how your brain functions,» said Deol.
