UNDIP, Semarang (26/7) – Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) continues to strengthen its contribution to global nutrition and health research through the participation of Adriyan Pramono, S.Gz., M.Si., Ph.D., a lecturer and researcher at the Department of Nutrition Science, Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Pramono is among the co-authors of a scientific article published in the prestigious international journal Nature Medicine (Q1, SJR 17). The publication announces the launch of the World Diet Initiative (WDI), an international research collaboration involving scientists from 12 countries to document and study traditional dietary patterns (heritage diets) before this valuable knowledge disappears due to the transformation of global food systems.
Over the past several decades, urbanization, globalization, and the increasing consumption of processed foods have contributed to the gradual abandonment of traditional diets in many parts of the world. These dietary patterns have increasingly shifted toward Western-style diets, which are typically high in calories, sugar, saturated fat, and sodium while lacking dietary fiber and essential micronutrients. This transition has coincided with the growing prevalence of metabolic diseases, prompting researchers to reexamine the biological potential of traditional diets. In fact, diets passed down through generations embody rich biodiversity, cultural heritage, and scientific value that may provide new insights into the relationships between food, the gut microbiome, the immune system, and metabolic health.
In their article, “Studying Vanishing Dietary Diversity Before It Is Lost: The World Diet Initiative,” published in Nature Medicine, the researchers emphasize that the world is currently in a “race against time.” If traditional dietary patterns continue to disappear without being systematically documented and studied, opportunities to understand their biological benefits for human health may also be permanently lost.
The World Diet Initiative was established as a global research platform to address knowledge gaps surrounding traditional diets. The initiative consists of two major components. The first is the World Diet Atlas, an open-access database designed to serve researchers, policymakers, and the public by documenting traditional dietary patterns from around the world. The atlas will include information on the types of foods consumed, methods of food sourcing, preparation techniques, and eating practices unique to different communities.
The second component is the World Diet Project, a biological research program employing multi-omics approaches to investigate how traditional diets influence the human immune system, metabolism, and gut microbiome.
UNDIP’s participation in this international consortium demonstrates Indonesia’s significant potential to contribute to global nutrition and health research. With its extraordinary diversity of local foods and long-standing culinary traditions, Indonesia represents an important source of knowledge for documenting and studying traditional diets within the framework of the World Diet Initiative.
One of the UNDIP authors, Adriyan Pramono, Ph.D., explained that the diversity of traditional diets represents an invaluable source of biological information. According to him, every community has developed unique combinations of local foods, preparation methods, and dietary practices over hundreds or even thousands of years, each potentially producing different health effects.
“Traditional diets are not only reflections of cultural heritage that deserve preservation, but they also contain valuable biological information that can help us understand how food influences human metabolism, the immune system, and the gut microbiota. Through the World Diet Initiative, we hope this diversity of dietary practices can be documented and scientifically studied before it disappears as modern consumption patterns continue to evolve,” he said.
The researchers also emphasized that the initiative does not seek to conclude that all traditional diets are healthier than modern diets. Rather, the research aims to scientifically identify specific foods and dietary practices that genuinely provide health benefits based on robust biological evidence.
Through this multinational collaboration, the researchers expect to establish a comprehensive global database of traditional diets that can support the development of nutrition recommendations better suited to the social, cultural, and environmental contexts of individual countries. Beyond contributing to the prevention of non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, the initiative also plays an important role in preserving the world’s culinary heritage.
UNDIP’s participation in the World Diet Initiative further reinforces the University’s position as a higher education institution actively contributing to impactful international research. UNDIP’s achievement aligns with the university’s commitment to producing research that advances scientific knowledge while delivering tangible benefits for global public health. It also reflects the university’s enduring commitment to its vision of “Noble and Valuable UNDIP” both nationally and internationally. (Public Communication/UNDIP/Adriyan Pramono, Ph.D./ed. Nurul)