A recent study conducted by the Stanford Prevention Research Center in collaboration with TruDiagnostic explored the impact of an eight-week vegan diet compared to an omnivorous diet on the biological age of the human body. The study aimed to investigate how a relatively short-term shift to a vegan diet might influence aging and overall health when compared to a typical non-vegan (omnivorous) diet.
Researchers were particularly interested in examining whether dietary changes could significantly affect biological markers of aging, which can differ from chronological age. By analyzing factors such as epigenetic changes, inflammation levels, and metabolic markers, the study sought to determine if a plant-based diet could slow the aging process or improve overall health within just two months.
The study’s findings were based on an analysis of blood DNA methylation and epigenetic aging to assess how different diets impacted these factors. Researchers divided participants into two groups: one following an omnivorous diet, which included protein and dairy sources like meat, eggs, and milk, and the other adhering strictly to a vegan diet, avoiding all animal products.
Participants who followed the vegan diet for the full eight weeks showed a notable decrease in the biological age of five key systems: the heart, hormonal, liver, inflammatory, and metabolic systems. In contrast, those on the omnivorous diet experienced an increase in tryptophan levels, which is known to indirectly boost serotonin, potentially aiding in mood regulation.
Varun Dwaraka, PhD, Director of Bioinformatics at TruDiagnostic, told Medical News Today that the study’s results were unexpected, especially given the short duration of the intervention. “These results were surprising, even among interventions using epigenetic tests,” Dwaraka said. He further explained that most studies using epigenetic clocks typically show changes after three to six months, whereas this study observed significant changes in just eight weeks.
Raghav Sehgal, a PhD candidate in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics at Yale University, a scientific advisor at TruDiagnostic, and Director of Bioinformatics at the Healthy Longevity Clinic, also commented on the study’s implications. Speaking to Medical News Today, Sehgal said, “When we look at multiple vegan diets and green Mediterranean diets (similar to vegan diets but including milk), we see a common thread: epigenetic scores for inflammation, metabolic, and musculoskeletal aging all improve.”
Sehgal emphasized that these diets seem to target inflammatory and metabolic aging pathways through epigenetic mechanisms, effectively slowing down the aging process. He concluded, “While the exact mechanisms behind these benefits might involve multiple pathways in the body, the fact that they provide clear health benefits is undeniable.”