Nitte joins global initiative to study disappearing heritage diets

Nitte joins global initiative to study disappearing heritage diets

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, July 22, 2026: Nitte (Deemed to be University) has joined the World Diet Initiative, a global research collaboration involving scientists from 12 countries to document and study traditional heritage diets before they disappear. The initiative, published in the journal Nature Medicine, aims to understand how centuries-old dietary practices influence human health and help prevent chronic diseases.

Prof. Dr. Anirban Chakraborty, Director of the Nitte University Centre for Science Education & Research (NUCSER), is leading the initiative’s regional network in India.

The project seeks to preserve valuable knowledge about traditional food cultures that have evolved over generations based on locally available ingredients and preparation methods. Researchers believe these diets may offer important insights into improving health, as communities that continue to follow them often report lower incidences of chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Highlighting India’s rich dietary heritage, Dr. Chakraborty pointed to the traditional food habits of Mangaluru’s fishing communities, where meals are centred around the "rice-fish-coconut" combination. He noted that the region’s cuisine reflects a close relationship between seasonal food availability, daily fishing catches and local agricultural produce.

The initiative comprises two major components. The World Diet Atlas will create a freely accessible database documenting heritage diets across the globe, including details on food sources, preparation methods and eating practices. The World Diet Project will investigate the biological effects of these diets using standardised scientific methods, enabling comparisons across different populations.

Researchers say dietary diversity is rapidly declining as traditional food habits are increasingly replaced by highly processed Western-style diets. The initiative aims to preserve this knowledge while allowing local research partners to lead studies and retain ownership of their findings.

Welcoming Nitte University’s participation, Vice-Chancellor Prof. M.S. Moodithaya said the institution is proud to contribute to a global effort that could advance scientific understanding of nutrition and public health.

The research also draws on recent findings from Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro region, where participants who switched from a traditional diet rich in legumes, whole grains and fermented foods to a processed Western-style diet showed increased inflammation and biological changes associated with chronic diseases within just two weeks. Participants who adopted the traditional diet or consumed a fermented millet-and-banana beverage experienced the opposite effects.

The researchers clarified that the initiative is not intended to promote a return to historical eating habits. Instead, it seeks to understand how different heritage diets influence the immune system, metabolism and gut microbiome, generating knowledge that could help develop healthier dietary strategies for modern populations.

The World Diet Initiative was published in Nature Medicine on July 15, 2026, under the title The World Diet Initiative.