Scientists have developed a 'medicinal diet' with high amounts of starches found in fruits and vegetables, which can help protect against type 1 diabetes and boost our immune systems, a new study has found.

The starches in diet resist digestion and pass through to the colon or large bowel where they are broken down by microbiota or gut bacteria.

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This process of fermentation produces acetate and butyrate which, when combined, provided complete protection against type 1 diabetes, researchers said.

"The Western diet affects our gut microbiota and the production of these short-chain fatty acids," said Eliana Marino of Monash University in Australia.

"Our research found that eating a diet which encourages the gut bacteria that produce high levels of acetate or butyrate improves the integrity of the gut lining, which reduces pro-inflammatory factors and promote immune tolerance," Marino added.

The study highlighted how non-pharmaceutical approaches including special diets and gut bacteria could treat or prevent autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes.

"The findings illustrate the dawn of a new era in treating human disease with medicinal foods," said Charles Mackay of Monash University.

"The materials we used are something you can digest that is comprised of natural products – resistant starches are a normal part of our diet," Mackay said.

"The diets we used are highly efficient at releasing beneficial metabolites. I would describe them as an extreme superfood," said Mackay.

Autoimmune type 1 diabetes occurs when immune cells called autoreactive T cells attack and destroy the cells that produce insulin – the hormone that regulates our blood sugar levels, researchers said.

"The diets we used are highly efficient at releasing beneficial metabolites. I would describe them as an extreme superfood," Mackay said.

The diet was not just about eating vegetables or high-fibre foods but involved special food and a special process, and would need to be managed by nutritionists, dietitians and clinicians, he said.

The study was published in the journal Nature Immunology.