Would you switch to a vegan diet if it would help you live longer?

I’m not a big meat eater, but I know I’d find it hard to walk away from yogurt, eggs and cheese.

But if I could do it for a few months and add a few years to my life on the other end? Now THAT’S something I’d consider.

A recent study tells me that this is entirely possible, with just a few changes to my diet for a short period of time…

A vegan diet reduced biological age

Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have been able to show just how quickly a change of diet can slow aging… and who doesn’t want that?

They worked with 21 pairs of identical twins, assigning one twin in each pair to a vegan diet, while the other ate an omnivore diet — which includes both plant and animal-based foods.

Over just eight weeks, the twins on the vegan diet showed improvements in epigenetic markers associated with aging.

Think of these markers like clocks hidden in your genes: you might be forty years old (your chronological age), but the way your body “reads” your genes can affect your health risks and make your body younger than its years.

In fact, less biological aging was observed in the heart and liver, as well as in tissues making up the hormonal, inflammatory and metabolic systems.

That means these twins, if they encounter heart trouble, blood sugar problems, liver or metabolic disorders — it should be at a much later age than the twins who followed a regular diet.

The researchers concluded that “a short-term vegan diet is positively associated with epigenetic age benefits and reduced calorie intake”, and suggest it has potential for personalized nutrition strategies for healthy aging.

Worth it for 8 weeks

A study I reported on last year only confirms these results…

In that study, which involved twins as well, the twins who followed the vegan diet ended up with significantly lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, insulin and body weight — all of which are associated with improved cardiovascular health.

That being said, some downsides have been reported that can be typical of long-term vegan dieting including…

That makes the idea of an 8-week vegan diet all that much easier to handle…

U.S. News and World Report, which rates diets every year, offers a complete beginner’s guide to the vegan diet.

Of course, the easiest place to start is simply avoiding anything that comes from an animal — which includes dairy and eggs.

You should be filling up mainly on fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Some of the best choices are:

• Brown rice
• Oatmeal
• Sweet potatoes and potatoes
• Corn
• Whole wheat pasta
• Dried apricots, prunes and figs
• Berries
• Pears
• Apples
• Cauliflower
• Kale
• Spinach
• Brussels sprouts
• Zucchini

There are lots of dairy-substitute options available as well, including:

• Soy milk
• Almond milk
• Coconut milk
• Yogurt made with one of the above

A word of caution: many processed vegan foods are just as unhealthy as regular ultra-processed foods, so that’s a pitfall to be avoided.

After an 8-week stint on the vegan diet if you’d like to add back the animal products but continue on a healthier path, eschewing red and processed meats for fish and chicken and keeping dairy down to a couple of servings a day, while eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, will get you closer to the Mediterranean diet — a diet that can take down weight, blood pressure and blood sugar but rates much higher on the satisfaction scale.

Sources:

Making One Diet Change For 8 Weeks Could Turn Back The Clock on Aging — Science Alert

Unveiling the epigenetic impact of vegan vs. omnivorous diets on aging: insights from the Twins Nutrition Study (TwiNS) — BMC Medicine

DNA Methylation: Can Your Diet Reduce Your Risk of Disease? — Healthline

Vegan Diet Can Improve Heart Health in Just 8 Weeks, Study Reveals — Science Alert

Cardiometabolic Effects of Omnivorous vs Vegan Diets in Identical TwinsA Randomized Clinical Trial — JAMA Network Open

This Daily Meal Plan Could Help Us Sustain 10 Billion People by Mid-Century — Science Alert

Vegan Food List: Over 100 Healthy Options For Your Next Grocery Haul — Trifecta