Consuming a diet that is high in fats and low in nutrients such as vitamins and minerals – commonly referred to as the Western diet – has been shown to produce negative effects in individuals’ immune health.

Researchers from Louisiana State University used laboratory mice to test their hypothesis that eating a diet rich in saturated fats decreases an individual’s ability to fight infection. During the first three weeks of the study period, investigators fed mice either a normal rodent diet or one enriched with saturated fats.

Next, investigators induced a bacterial infection to the mice. They found that subjects who were fed the less nutritious diet were significantly more likely to die from the infection than those who consumed a more nutrient-rich diet.

“Mortality due to sepsis in morbidly obese subjects is estimated to be seven times more prevalent compared to mortality in lean individuals,” said Chantal Rivera, who led the study. “Results from our recent studies suggest that this adverse outcome may be caused by consuming a high-fat diet, which predisposes the immune system to react more strongly to infection.”