Increasing plant-based food consumption is known to benefit both health and the environment, yet only a few individuals fully commit to a vegan diet.
However, a recent study suggests that following a vegan diet for just eight weeks could potentially reverse one’s biological age. Researchers discovered that participants who adhered to a vegan diet showed a reduction in their estimated biological age, as indicated by DNA methylation, an epigenetic marker.
Dr. Lucia Aronica, along with other co-authors from BBC Science Focus, explains, “DNA methylation and other epigenetic modifications regulate gene activity and expression.” These modifications change in specific ways as we age, allowing scientists to track and understand the aging process.
The study, as detailed in BMC Medicine, involved 21 adult identical twin pairs, where one twin followed a vegan diet while the other maintained an omnivorous diet for eight weeks. Blood samples were taken before and after the study to measure DNA methylation levels and assess the effects of each diet.
Results demonstrated that only the vegan group showed a slowing of the epigenetic aging clock, with some participants appearing almost one year younger by certain measures. A vegan diet was associated with reduced estimated ages of various organ systems, such as the heart, hormones, liver, and inflammatory and metabolic systems.
The average reduction in biological age for the vegan group was a remarkable 0.63 years. However, researchers caution that these findings should be interpreted carefully due to other factors like weight loss, as participants in the vegan group lost an average of 2 kilograms more than those in the omnivorous group.
Despite the promising outcomes, further research is necessary to understand the long-term effects of a vegan diet on aging and to differentiate between the effects of dietary composition and weight loss.
Experts like Dr. Hou Lifang suggest that additional studies are needed to validate these results, emphasizing the need for caution when drawing broad conclusions. While the study provides valuable insights, more research is required to fully comprehend the impact of a vegan diet on aging.
About our experts
Lucia Aronica focuses on epigenetics and gene-environment interactions in health outcomes. She is currently leading epigenetic analysis in the largest low-carb vs. low-fat diet study for weight loss. Aronica teaches nutritional genomics at Stanford University.
Varun Dwaraka is a bioinformatics researcher specializing in aging, epigenetics, and genetics. He has co-authored various publications on DNA methylation, tissue regeneration, and the epigenetic clock.
Hou Li-Fan, MD, MS, PhD, is a Professor of Preventive Medicine, integrating epidemiology with molecular technologies in disease studies focused on molecular markers and disease prevention.
Source: www.sciencefocus.com
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