According to a new study published in the journal cellthis week on how a high-fat, high-sugar diet affects the immune system, eating fast-food It’s like giving your body a bacterial infection.
Scientists have described high-fat, high-calorie foods as western diet and when they put rats on this regimen, they observed systemic inflammation that persisted even after the rats went back to their normal diets. The food used for the study contained large amounts of fat and sugar and no fiber, so when a rat ate it, the The immune system’s observed inflammatory response was similar to that occurring during a bacterial infection.
Although the inflammation dissipated the moment the unhealthy diet was replaced with a better one, the genetic changes caused by the aggressive immune response remained. However, this type of persistent effect is not unheard of, as it is known that the body uses a type of memory your past experiences to better protect yourself in the future.
In this way, when at risk from a dangerous pathogen, it unlocks these memories so that the body’s defenses can generate a faster and more effective response. What the new study then did was expand this concept with foods of low nutritional value. Fast food caused the body to quickly recruit a huge and powerful army, explained the researcher. Scientists said they believe a more stimulated immune system could have serious health consequences, including a greater risk of diabetes and heart problems.