Eating vegan could decrease biological age, weight, study suggests

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A new study puts some weight — pun intended — behind the common parental phrase, “Eat your vegetables.”

Researchers at California’s Stanford University said eating a vegan diet for just eight weeks may decrease a person’s biological age and help them shed pounds, reported the Daily Mail.

Participants who ate just plant-based foods also saw age decreases hormonally and in the heart, liver and inflammatory and metabolic systems, while those eating meat, eggs and dairy did not.

The findings, published in the journal BMC Medicine, were based on a study of 21 pairs of identical twins aged 39, half of whom ate a vegan diet, while the other sibling ate an omnivorous diet.

Researchers found those who ate a vegan diet lost two kilograms more on average than those who did not, but that was likely due to them eating 200 fewer calories daily over the first four weeks.

Experts also said the weight loss could have contributed to the biological differences between the two groups rather than the food itself.

It has been suggested that in the long term, a vegan diet may lead to nutritional deficiencies and may not suit all ages.

Varun Dwaraka, of epigenetic testing company TruDiagnostic Inc., Stanford’s Christopher Gardner and colleagues said further research is needed to investigate the relationship between diet, weight and aging, in addition to the long-term effects of vegan diets.

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