Reduce gut inflammation with a high-fat diet
06/22/2021 / By Brocky Wilson / Comments
Reduce gut inflammation with a high-fat diet

The days when all fat-rich foods are thought to be unhealthy are long over. Nowadays, you will see health-conscious eaters following a high-fat diet, and for good reason.

According to a study, eating a diet rich in healthy fats is good for your gut. It alters the composition of your gut microbiota in a way that reduces gut inflammation and wards off inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn’s disease.

High-fat diet fights inflammation in Crohn’s disease

Crohn’s disease is a chronic condition that causes inflammation of the digestive tract. Its symptoms include cramps, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition. Crohn’s disease can be painful and debilitating. In some cases, it can lead to potentially life-threatening complications, such as colon cancer.

There is no mainstream cure for Crohn’s disease. Instead, treatments are focused on reducing its symptoms. Patients that respond well to therapies are able to function well and live normally.

For their study, researchers from Case Western Reserve University fed mice with Crohn’s-like disease either a control diet or a diet rich in plant-based healthy fats, including coconut oil and cocoa butter.

The researchers found that eating even small amounts of coconut oil and cocoa butter reduced intestinal inflammation in the mice. Upon closer inspection, they also found that those fed a high-fat diet had up to 30 percent fewer types of gut bacteria compared to those fed a normal diet. This reduced diversity was apparent in mice’s feces, as well as in their cecum, which is a part of the colon commonly inflamed in Crohn’s disease.

These findings suggest that replacing the unhealthy fats in your diet with good fats can help reduce the symptoms of Crohn’s disease, according to lead researcher Alexander Rodriguez-Palacios.

More health benefits of a high-fat diet

A high-fat diet can improve your health in many ways. A study found that eating a balanced diet that includes healthy fats reduces blood pressure, inflammation and body fat.

Researchers arrived at this finding after asking 144 overweight women to eat a diet consisting of one-third saturated fats, one-third monounsaturated fats and one-third polyunsaturated fats. After four months, the women’s fat mass decreased while their muscle mass increased. Meanwhile, levels of inflammatory cytokines fell substantially, as did the women’s blood pressure.

Another study found that consuming a low-carb, high-fat diet improves blood sugar control, cholesterol levels and body composition. For their study, researchers asked obese adults to eat a diet composed of 10 percent carbs, 25 percent protein and 65 percent fats over the course of two months. They also asked another group of obese adults to consume a low-fat diet for the same amount of time.

In the high-fat diet, carb sources included leafy greens, fruits, high-fiber grains and non-starchy veggies. Fat sources included olive oil, nut oils, nut butter, cheese, coconut milk and avocados. Meanwhile, protein came from eggs, fish, pork and poultry.

The participants on the low-carb, high-fat diet lost more visceral fat than those on the low-fat diet. They also enjoyed reductions in their cholesterol levels and improvements in their insulin sensitivity. All of these effects are linked to a lower risk of stroke, heart disease and diabetes.

How to eat a high-fat diet

In a high-fat diet, at least 35 percent of the total calories you eat should come from fats. You can best enjoy the diet’s benefits if you opt for healthy fats like omega-3s and other unsaturated fats.

Many high-fat diets, like the ketogenic diet and Atkins diet, require people to cut back on the amount of carbs they consume in order to give way to fats and protein. As such, you’ll need to reduce your carb intake and focus on fat- and protein-rich foods to start a high-fat diet.

The following foods are rich in fats and protein:

  • Fish, such as salmon, tuna, herring and cod
  • Meat, such as chicken and turkey
  • Organic cheese
  • Grass-fed butter
  • Avocado
  • Oils, such as olive, flaxseed and avocado oil
  • Nuts, such as peanuts, almonds, walnuts and cashews
  • Seeds, such as sunflower and chia
  • Eggs

The carbs in your diet should come from low-carb foods, such as:

  • Spinach and other dark leafy greens
  • Carrots
  • Berries
  • Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts
  • Asparagus
  • Small portions of melons, peaches and apples

A diet rich in healthy fats promotes gut health, improves blood sugar control and reduces inflammation, among other things. As with any other diet, it’s best to consult your physician first so you can be properly guided on how to ease into this diet. A health expert can also provide dietary recommendations that are appropriate for you.

Sources:

ScienceDaily.com

MayoClinic.org

MedSchool.Vanderbilt.edu

Health.Harvard.edu

NutritionAndMetabolism.BioMedCentral.com

ScienceDirect.com

MedicalNewsToday.com

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