Mixed
An 8-week vegan diet significantly reduces epigenetic age acceleration (GrimAge, PhenoAge, DunedinPACE) and extends telomere length compared to an omnivorous diet in healthy adults.
Adopting a vegan diet for 8 weeks can significantly slow down biological aging markers, including epigenetic age and telomere length, compared to a healthy omnivorous diet. To maximize these benefits, ensure you are getting adequate nutrients, particularly B12 and other 'epi-nutrients' mentioned in the study, through supplementation or careful food selection.
In the vegan group, we observed significant decreases in the following epigenetic age metrics: PC GrimAge (mean Δ EAA = −0.3011, p = 0.033), PC PhenoAge (mean ΔEAA = −0.7824, p = 0.014), and DunedinPACE (mean Δ PACE residual = −0.0312, p = 0.00061) significantly decreased at 8 weeks relative to 0 weeks... The average telomere length was significantly longer at week 8 than at week 0 for Vegans (p = 0.045, Δ T/S ratio = 0.0361, Fig. 3A) but not for omnivores (p = 0.86, Δ T/S ratio = −0.0045, Fig. 3A).
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial with twin-pair design controlling for genetics, but short duration (8 weeks) and small sample size (N=42).
Source
Unveiling the epigenetic impact of vegan vs. omnivorous diets on aging: insights from the Twins Nutrition Study (TwiNS)
Varun B. Dwaraka et al. · BMC Medicine · 2024
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