Study Shows How Fast Healthy Eating Can Affect Your Body

Credit: Daily-Voice.com
Credit: Daily-Voice.com

A recent study is making headlines by showing just how fast switching to a healthier diet can positively impact your health.

When researchers at the University of Pittsburgh conducted a diet swap between 20 Americans and 20 Africans for two weeks, they were able to see noticeable differences in the health panels of all subjects who participated in the study.

Americans, who on average consume a diet high in fat with frequent burgers and fries, swapped their meals for the traditional cuisine of Africans, which is higher in fiber and lower in fat.

In as little as two weeks, biomarkers of cancer were reduced in the Americans who adopted a more plant-based, high-fiber diet.

Dr. Stephen O’Keefe, the lead researcher of the study, stated:

“In as little as two weeks, a change in diet from a Westernized composition to a traditional African high-fibre, low-fat diet reduced these biomarkers of cancer risk, indicating that it likely never too late to modify the risk of colon cancer.” 

Most interestingly, the researchers estimate that at least one third of all bowel cancer cases could be avoided with change of diet.

“By changing one thing, people in the fibre group were able to improve their diet and lose weight and improve their overall markers for metabolic syndrome,” said the study’s lead author.

This startling – and remarkable – finding proves that it really is never too late to start taking better care of your health by adopting more wholesome, plant-based eating habits.

The results, which were published in the journal ‘Nature Communication,’ were consistent with other research showing the benefits of switching to a plant-based, high-fiber diet.

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Said Associate Professor Amanda Salis of Sydney University’s Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise, and Eating Disorders, “I found it very encouraging that just to weeks of dietary changes for the better can bring about changes in health markers that indicate improvements.”

Stalis did warn, however, that for the health benefits to stick around, the changes need to become a habit.

“As for the negative effects, it is always a case that those dietary changes need to be sustained long-term for the changes in health to translate to long-term benefits.”

What are your thoughts on this latest finding? Share in the comments section below.

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