We all know very well that a diet with high meat consumption This is much more harmful than vegan diet or vegetarian. But what happens if we eat an omnivorous diet with healthy ingredients? Are the benefits of a vegan diet even greater? There are several studies that definitively answer this question, but they are unable to separate the results from factors that may falsify them, such as lifestyle or genetic predisposition. Therefore, a group of scientists from Stanford University wanted to go even further and differentiate the effect of each type of diet on pair of twins.
To do this they resorted to Stanford Twin Registry, which enrolls twin brothers who wish to participate in scientific research on topics in which genetics is important. We must not forget that twins are almost genetically identical. Therefore, with them you can rule out genetics as a factor influencing differences in the results of any investigation. Additionally, there are pairs of twins with many different characteristics. For example, you could choose twins who, although they were twins, lived in different places, so the environment was very different. In this case they didn’t want it. They wanted pairs of twins with the same level of education, who grew up in the same place and therefore also had almost identical environments.
So they could see benefits of a vegan dietIf there were any, they were actually caused by food and not other reasons. General 22 pairs of twins participated.. One of each couple followed a vegan diet and the other followed a healthy vegan diet. Two months later, the results were very significant.
The first step: make the right diets
In one month, study participants received ready meals from a caterer who received instructions from scientists. One of the brothers ate all vegan foods and the other was an omnivore.
After this, the study continued for another month, but this time it was the participants themselves they prepared food. Of course they had nutritionist advice that they can help them choose the healthiest options for each type of diet at any time.
During the study, blood samples were taken from all participants, in which insulin and LDL cholesterol levels. In addition, they were weighed and their waist circumference was measured. All these measurements were taken immediately after the study began, one month later, and two months later.
The benefits of a vegan diet in numbers
Just one month into the study, the vegan twins performed significantly better on all measures than the omnivorous twins. Always compared to his brother or sister.
However, the differences were even more radical in two month. So much so that the study’s authors claim that just two months of a vegan diet can significantly improve long-term cardiovascular health.
LDL cholesterol levels dropped markedly in the vegan twins, while they rose slightly in most omnivores. Fasting insulin concentrations were 20% lower for vegans, therefore, their likelihood of developing diabetes was much lower. And there were also differences in weight loss. Vegan twins lost on average 2 kg more than his brothers.
So the benefits of a vegan diet seem even more clear in this study. In any case, its authors insist that it is not necessary to be radical. The ideal would be a vegan diet. supplemented by B12, Certainly. But it is enough to reduce your meat consumption and increase the amount of fruits and vegetables. Even if you don’t go vegan, you can still experience many of these benefits. Some advantages, which, moreover, concern not only us. The planet also thanks you.
Source: Hiper Textual
