Traditional African Heritage Diets are filled with healthy plant foods, and research is only just beginning to uncover their benefits. In this study, seventy-seven healthy Tanzanian adults from both rural and urban areas in the Kilimanjaro region were randomized to either a Western-style diet (with foods like white bread, sausage, pancakes, and French fries), a traditional heritage diet (with foods like millet porridge, okra, beans, and avocado), or a hybrid diet that included Western diet foods and a traditional fermented banana and millet beverage (called mbege), for one-to-two weeks. The scientists measured the participants’ blood for markers of inflammation immediately after the intervention diet, and then again 4 weeks after returning to their habitual diet (Western diet for the urban dwellers, heritage diet for the rural dwellers). Switching to the African Heritage diet for just two weeks resulted in sustained reductions in inflammatory and metabolic plasma proteins, which indicate improved inflammation. Similarly, drinking the mbege daily for a week led to a rapid shift in cardiometabolic proteins and a sustained lowering of inflammatory proteins.
Nat Med. 2025 Apr 3. doi: 10.1038/s41591-025-03602-0. (Temba GS et al.)

When it comes to reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes, a diet with healthy carbohydrates should be a key part of your nutrition playbook. In this review, researchers analyzed 67 studies related to food groups and risk of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes mortality. A high intake of whole grains was linked with a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes, with similar (though no quite as strong) tendencies for fruit and vegetable intake. A high intake of red meat, processed meat, and/or sugar sweetened beverages were all linked with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. For other food groups, the risk of type 2 diabetes wasn’t statistically significant in either direction.
J Nutr. 2025 Mar 21:S0022-3166(25)00173-7. doi: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.03.021. (Banjarnahor RL et al.)

It’s never too late to begin your journey to health. In a study of more than 1,000 adults in Europe, those closely or moderately following a Mediterranean diet at ages 40, 50, and 60 had a 26-28% lower risk of carotid plaque (fat in the arteries, which can eventually cause heart disease) at age 60.
Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2025 Mar 18:zwaf155. doi: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf155. (Almevall AD et al.)

Seafood is a celebrated component of heritage diets around the world. In this study of 2,719 Swedish adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), those eating fish (both lean and oily fish) weekly or daily were 34% less likely to experience disability worsening (as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale) 15 years later than those never or seldom eating fish.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2025 Feb 25:jnnp-2024-335200. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2024-335200. (Johansson E et al.)

Diet and lifestyle can play a role in cancer prevention. In a study of 450,111 European adults in both Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean populations, those most closely following a Mediterranean diet were 6% less likely to develop obesity related cancers (such as colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, and 11 other cancers) 15 years later.
JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Feb 3;8(2):e2461031. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.61031. (Aguilera-Buenosvinos I et al.)

Is the Mediterranean Diet healthy in spite of the wine, or partly because of the wine? New research suggests the latter. In this study, 1,232 Spanish adults at risk of developing heart disease were followed to see how wine consumption relates to heart disease risk using urinary tartaric acid as a biomarker of wine intake. Compared with those who didn’t drink wine (as measured by <1 µg/mL of tartaric acid), those who lightly drank wine (as measured by 3–12 µg/mL of tartaric acid) or who drank up to 1 glass of wine per day (as measured by 12–35 µg/mL of tartaric acid) had a 38% and 50% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, respectively.
Eur Heart J. 2024 Dec 18:ehae804. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehae804. Online ahead of print. (Inés Domínguez-López et al.)

Periodontitis, or gum disease, can put people at risk for heart and lung diseases down the road. Researchers analyzed the whole grain and refined grain intake of 7,753 adults in the US and measured which of those adults had gum disease. Those eating the most whole grains and those who had the greatest ratio of whole grains to refined grains had a lower risk of gum disease. Specifically, every one-ounce serving of whole grains was linked with an 11 percent lower risk of gum disease.
Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2024 Nov 4:1-11. doi: 10.1080/09637486.2024.2420265. Online ahead of print. (Guo S et al.)

Nutrition isn’t just about disease management – it may also help with disease prevention. In a study of 12,575 adults in China, those most closely following a Mediterranean diet were significantly less likely to develop diabetes over the nine-year study period. Specifically, each one-point increase on the nine-point Mediterranean diet score was linked with a 17 percent lower risk of developing diabetes. When looking at individual food groups, fruit, fish, and nuts were also significantly associated with a lower risk of developing diabetes.
Nutr J. 2024 Oct 23;23(1):131. doi: 10.1186/s12937-024-01036-x. (Ying Z et al.)

Just because someone says they don’t like whole grains, doesn’t mean we should write off their interest immediately. In fact, changing the food environment by simply exposing these people to whole grains is enough to change their attitudes, a new study shows. In this study, researchers provided 45 healthy adults with either refined grain or whole grain products to take home for six weeks. Researchers measured how much of the provided grain foods were eaten, and they measured if people associated different types of grains with either an unpleasant or pleasant taste before and after the study using an implicit association computer test with measured response times. The whole grain group consumed just as much of their provided grains as the refined grains group, and individuals who considered whole grains as unpleasant tasting before the study were significantly more likely to change their tune and consider whole grains to be pleasant tasting after being provided with the whole grain foods.
Front Nutr. 2024 Sep 30:11:1408256. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1408256. eCollection 2024. (De Leon A et al.)

Poor diet can be a risk factor for certain types of liver diseases, so researchers conducted a meta-analysis of studies to see how whole grain intake might relate to liver disease risk. Those eating the most whole grains had a 10% lower risk of developing any chronic liver disease than those eating the least. The results were especially pronounced for a certain subgroup of serious liver diseases. Eating whole grains was linked with a 35% lower risk of developing cirrhosis (a potentially fatal form of liver damage) and a 63% lower risk of chronic liver disease mortality.
Food Funct. 2024 Sep 30;15(19):9707-9717. doi: 10.1039/d4fo03077j. (Zhang Y et al.)

China is the second most populous country in the world, meaning that dietary shifts at a national level could have drastic health, climate, and even financial impacts. In this modeling study, researchers estimated that if all adults in China were to eat about 1 more ounce of whole grains per day, the total indirect and direct healthcare savings related to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and colorectal cancer alone would be an estimated $56.37 billion annually. Further, because whole wheat flour and brown rice tend to have lower carbon footprints than their refined counterparts, eating 1 more ounce of whole grains per day is projected to reduce carbon emissions by up to 5.72 million tons.
Journal of Integrative Agriculture. 2024 Aug. 23(8):2842-2852. doi: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.12.006. (Zhang X et al.)

Because respiratory diseases like COVID-19 can be characterized by inflammation, researchers wonder if a naturally anti-inflammatory Mediterranean diet might be related to COVID-19 risk. In a systematic review of 6 studies covering 55,489 people total, researchers found that higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet is linked with a lower risk of COVID-19. However, more research is needed on the relationship between the Mediterranean diet and COVID-19 symptoms and severity.
PLoS One. 2024 Aug 21;19(8):e0301564. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301564. eCollection 2024. (Halim C et al.)