High-fat 'westernised' diet could increase food poisoning and infectious disease risk

Eating a high-fat “westernised” diet potentially increases the risk of food poisoning and reduces the efficiency of the immune system to fight infectious disease, researchers at University College Cork (UCC) have found.

The study of the effects of a westernised diet on the gut of mice showed that even short-term consumption increased the number of a particular type of cell, known as goblet cells, which are the target of infection by Listeria.