New research links vegan diets, at least in the short-term, to reduced biological age. Nataa Mandi?/Stocksy Vegan, plant-based diets are rich in fiber, antioxidants, and plant compounds that support gut health, reduce inflammation, and promote healthy metabolic processes.
A recent study in identical twins suggests that following a healthy vegan diet for even a short period may reduce biological age estimates.
While a vegan diet may benefit the body’s biological clock in the short term, experts still recommend balanced approaches, such as the Mediterranean diet, for long-term health.
A recent study compared the effects of an eight-week vegan diet versus an omnivorous diet on estimations, which gauge overall health and the risk of age-related diseases like heart disease and Alzheimer’s.
Researchers estimated biological age by measuring DNA methylation levels— epigenetic (chemical) changes that influence gene expression without altering DNA.
Earlier studies have linked higher DNA methylation levels to aging.
The diet intervention trial, which involved 21 pairs of identical twins, suggests that adopting a vegan diet may significantly lower biological age estimates in a relatively short timeframe.
These results are consistent with previous evidence indicating that plant-based diets could offer anti-aging benefits . However, the study’s lead authors, along with external experts, urge caution in interpreting these findings due to the small sample size and limited duration.
Published in BMC Medicine andfeatured in Netflix’s docuseries “ You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment ” (2024), the findings encourage a deeper exploration of how diet and lifestyle choices impact health at a genetic level. The epigenetic impact of vegan vs. omnivorous diets on aging Researchers at Stanford Prevention Research Center and TruDiagnostic , a leading lab in epigenetic testing and research, aimed to identify how a vegan diet affects human biological age and health compared to an omnivorous diet.They initially recruited 22 generally healthy adult identical twin pairs from the Stanford Twin Registry and other sources. One twin pair was later removed for not adhering to study conditions, resulting in 21 twin pairs (42 individuals) for the final analysis.Participants were predominantly women (77%), with an average age of […]
An 8-week short-term vegan diet may help reduce biological age
