However, there are experts who claim that a vegan diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies in the long run and may not be suitable for all ages.
A vegetarian diet can shorten a person’s biological age, according to a study, experts note that the result of the study may also be related to the reduction of calories consumed by the participants.
After eight weeks of a plant-based diet, there were also decreases in the ages of the heart, hormones, liver and inflammatory and metabolic systems, the study found, but no changes were seen in those whose diets included meat, eggs and dairy products.
Those who followed the vegan diet also lost an average of two pounds more because they consumed 200 fewer calories in the first four weeks of the study.
Therefore, as noted by experts, the differences in biological age observed between the two study groups may be partially due to weight loss.
on the contrary
Some experts suggest that a vegan diet may lead to nutritional deficiencies in the long term and may not be suitable for all ages, while others suggest that the differences may be related to weight loss.
The findings are based on a small study of 21 pairs of 39-year-old identical twins, where one twin followed a vegan diet and the other followed a whole diet.
At the end of the study, researchers saw a decrease in biological age estimates based on levels of DNA methylation, a type of chemical modification of DNA used to estimate biological age.
Biological aging refers to the decline of tissue and cell function in the body, as opposed to chronological age.
Previous studies have reported that increased levels of DNA methylation are associated with aging.
However, Varun Dwaraka of the epigenetic testing company TruDiagnostic and Christopher Gardner of Stanford University in California and colleagues said it was unclear whether the differences recorded between the twins were due to different diets.
In addition to the long-term effects of vegan diets, further research is needed to examine the relationship between diet, weight and aging, they add.
Tom Sanders, professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London, who was not involved in the study, said the study found some differences in aging for vegetarians, but did not take into account that vitamin and mineral deficiencies often take years. it seems
He added that studies also show that a vegan diet may not be good for the health of older people.
Professor Sanders said: “Although observational studies have shown that vegan diets can have positive health effects in middle age (such as a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes), this is not the case in older vegans, who are more likely to suffer from muscle loss, low bone density and neurological disorders that significantly affect quality of life.”
“Life expectancy in vegans is no different than that of those who choose a mixed diet,” he said.
Dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, Dr Duane Mellor, said although the study compared a vegan diet with a whole diet, the two diets were not exactly equivalent in terms of calories.
He explained: “Decreased energy intake could potentially alter participants’ DNA mutations.”
Dr Mellor added that the vegan group was asked to eat twice as many servings of vegetables, more fruit and more legumes, nuts and seeds than the omnivorous group, which may partly explain the differences reported.