Scientists have found a vegan diet may be the solution to turning back the clock on some ageing processes.
New research suggests that switching to a plant-based diet rich in vegetables and low in junk food may rapidly reduce a person’s biological age.
A study from Stanford University, involving 21 pairs of identical twins, revealed that an eight-week vegan diet can lead to decreases in biological age markers, such as the heart, hormone, liver, and inflammatory systems, by reducing DNA methylation levels.
DNA methylation is a chemical modification of DNA used to estimate biological age, which refers to the decline in the functioning of tissues and cells rather than chronological age.
The use of identical twins allowed researchers to control for genetic factors, enhancing the study’s reliability.
Participants following a vegan diet showed significant improvements compared to their omnivorous counterparts, who showed no changes, and continued to consume meat, eggs, and dairy.
It was found that overweight adults who moved to a “healthy” plant-based diet for two months had a youthful shift in their “epigenetic clock”.
Notably, those on the plant-based diet also lost an average of two kilograms more, consuming 200 fewer calories during the initial four weeks.
Both groups were instructed to eat diets high in vegetables and fibre while minimising refined grains and sugars.
Researchers utilised the Healthy Eating Index, a validated metric that uses a scoring system to determine the overall quality of an individual’s diet, to gauge the quality of participants’ meals.
The study’s findings were published in BMC Medicine Journal and also featured in the Netflix documentary series “You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment.
However, lead author Varun B. Dwaraka, PhD, cautioned that long-term adherence to a vegan diet without proper supplementation, especially of vitamin B12, could have “adverse health effects”.
Tom Sanders, professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London, who was not involved in the research, noted that a vegan diet without vitamin B12 supplementation could cause deficiencies as well as “chronic and often insidious damage to the nervous system,”.
Dr Duane Mellor, dietitian and spokesman for British Dietetic Association, added the calorie differences between diets might have influenced and affected the results of study.
He explained: “It is possible that a reduction in energy intake could potentially have altered how the participants’ DNA was changed.”
Further research is needed to investigate the relationship between diet, weight and ageing and whether plant-based diets can bring life-changing results.
