Everyone understands that consuming more veggies is good in terms of health and for the world that we live in. While it is a trend that people are trying to cut down on their consumption of animal products, very few people go fully vegan. But a new study reveals that the vegan diet may help to decrease the biological age after only two months of the diet. This study carried out in BMC Medicine noted the above fact and concluded that vegans reduced their biological age based on DNA methylation.
What happens?
DNA methylation and other epigenetic modifications are like the volume knob for our genes, increasing or decreasing their activity,” said Dr. Lucia Aronica, co-author of the investigation. Methyl groups get modified as people age. The pattern of these methyl groups undergoes changes which scientists may observe to study the process of ageing.
What was the study?
This study had 21 pairs of identical adults where one twin was vegan, and the other twin was a non-vegan having foods such as meat, eggs, and dairy. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, which were cooked by the research staff, were provided to the participants during the first 4 weeks, whereas in following 4 weeks, participants prepared their own meals after gaining nutritional knowledge.
Researchers measured DNA methylation levels from blood samples to assess the impact of each diet. Results showed decreases in epigenetic ageing clocks only in the vegan group, with some measures indicating almost a year’s reduction in biological age. The vegan diet also resulted in reduced estimated ages of various organ systems, including the heart, liver, and inflammatory and metabolic systems. On average, the biological age reduction for the vegan group was 0.63 years.
“Most strikingly, the pace of ageing, which calculates how quickly one’s biological age advances relative to their chronological age, decreased by about 0.03 units,” said Dr. Varun Dwaraka, the study’s lead author. This suggests that for every year these individuals age, their bodies age slightly less than expected.
However, researchers cautioned against overinterpreting these results. Participants on the vegan diet also lost two kilograms more than the omnivorous group on average. It’s unclear whether the vegan diet or the weight loss caused the observed age-related changes. The study design did not isolate specific nutrients or food groups, making it difficult to pinpoint exact dietary components responsible for the changes.
More research needed
While the findings are promising, further research is needed to understand the long-term effects of vegan diets on ageing. Experts like Dr. Lifang Hou of Northwestern University, who was not involved in the study, emphasize the need for larger sample sizes and longer study durations to confirm these results. Dr. Hou suggested a follow-up study to observe biological ageing in long-term vegans and examine if the biological changes revert after discontinuing the vegan diet.
