New Twin Study Links Plant-Based Diet To Reduced Biological Age

Eating a healthy plant-based diet could make you biologically younger, according to a new study. Twenty-one pairs of twins ate either an “entirely plant-based” or “healthy omnivorous” diet for two months. The plant-based group showed “significant decreases” in the rate of biological aging, indicating that being vegan has anti-aging benefits.

At the beginning and end of the trial, researchers took blood samples from participants and measured a biomarker called DNA methylation. The pattern of DNA methylation and other biomarkers change as we age. Scientists can use these to determine a person’s biological age versus their actual age, which indicates whether they are aging healthily or not.

The study also found that a vegan diet reduced the age of individual organs and body systems, namely the heart, hormone, liver, and metabolic and inflammatory systems. They did not find any significant changes among the omnivorous group.

Veganism and biological age

A spread of plant foods including cucumber, avocado and chickpeas, which can be part of a healthy vegan diet — Adobe Stock A healthy vegan diet includes lots of fruit, veg, and legumes

The vegan participants lost an average of 2 kg by the end of the trial compared to their omnivorous twins. This is partly because they ate around 200 fewer calories a day. The researchers say that further studies are needed to determine the relative influences of weight loss and diet type on biological age. Other studies have shown that diets designed to manage weight plus exercise help to reduce biological age.

In another recent “groundbreaking” study of twins on vegan and omnivorous diets, the plant-based participants also ended up with reduced body weight, as well as lower cholesterol and insulin levels. As a result, they had better cardiovascular health.

Studies of identical twins are popular because they allow researchers to control for genetic differences and limit environmental factors that could make it harder to compare different lifestyle interventions like diet and exercise.