Just a cookie daily with otherwise healthy meals can damage your gut, make you obese, says study

Next time you pick up a small pouch of French fries, a cheese burger, cookie or a muffin, thinking that tiny snack indulgence may be inconsequential in your overall healthy diet plan, think again.

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All of them contain saturated fats (bad fats that remain solid at room temperature) that may trigger inflammation throughout the body even in small doses. An Australian study suggests that a high-fat diet has a corrosive effect on gut lining and defences, allowing toxins and bacteria to leak into the bloodstream. It reveals that just two days of consuming foods high in saturated fats significantly reduced levels of a key protein that helps protect the gut and control inflammation. According to study author Dr Cyril Seillet, the higher the consumption of saturated fats, the higher the inflammation. Over time, this weakens our gut defences, increasing our susceptibility to chronic inflammation.

Why is the study significant?