A Western diet that is high in processed and refined foods, as well as carbohydrates, sugar, salt, saturated fat, and protein from red meat, has been identified as a major contributor to the development of metabolic disorders and the global obesity epidemic. Excess body fat contributes to metabolic diseases such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic kidney disease, and cancer.
The immune system can only function properly if it gets all the essential nutrients. Fat cells produce inflammatory substances that are harmful to the body. According to some studies, this can have an impact on how the immune system reacts. Instead of becoming activated when a pathogen first enters the body, the immune system takes longer to respond, making the person more susceptible to infections and diseases.
Obesity
A Western diet has been linked to a higher risk of obesity. There is a connection between a Western-style diet and various plasma biomarkers that may act as obesity mediators, such as higher levels of serum apelin, leptin, triglycerides, LDL-Cholesterol, total cholesterol, fasting, and insulin. Significant positive correlations between apelin and leptin levels with abnormal metabolic markers were noted in obese women. Meta-analyses have also found that a Western dietary pattern is connected to greater weight gain in females and adolescents when compared to a healthy diet.
Diabetes
According to research, eating a typical Western diet increases the risk of chronic illness, including diabetes. The National Medical Association published a study in the United States that directly linked type 2 diabetes to the western diet, which is high in fat, red meat, salt, and sugars, and low in fiber. Several studies have found that the majority of type 2 diabetes cases can be avoided by changing one’s diet and lifestyle.
Cancer
Western diets have been linked to an increased risk of colon and prostate cancer in recent research. Men who ate a predominantly Western diet had 2.5 times the chance of dying from prostate cancer, whereas the risks of colon cancer were connected to inflammation and a change in gut flora activity. According to a new study, eating a diet high in processed meat, unhealthy fats, refined grains, and sugar after a prostate cancer diagnosis may lead to a significantly higher risk of both prostate cancer-related and overall mortality compared to eating a healthy balanced diet.
Crohn’s Disease
Eating a Western diet impairs the immune system in the gut in ways that may increase the risk of infection and inflammatory bowel disease, According to a study conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine. It found that a high-sugar, high-fat diet damages Paneth cells, which are immune cells in the gut that help keep inflammation under control.