Cardiometabolic effects of omnivorous vs vegan diets in identical twins

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38032644/

Cardiometabolic effects of omnivorous vs vegan diets in identical twins.

Abstract

IMPORTANCE: Increasing evidence suggests that, compared with an omnivorous diet, a vegan diet confers potential cardiovascular benefits from improved diet quality (ie, higher consumption of vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds).

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of a healthy vegan vs. healthy omnivorous diet on cardio-metabolic measures during an 8-week intervention.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This single-center, population-based randomized clinical trial of 22 pairs of twins (N = 44) randomized participants to a vegan or omnivorous diet (1 twin per diet). Participant enrollment began March 28, 2022, and continued through May 5, 2022. The date of final follow-up data collection was July 20, 2022. This 8-week, open-label, parallel, dietary randomized clinical trial compared the health impact of a vegan diet vs an omnivorous diet in identical twins. Primary analysis included all available data.

INTERVENTION: Twin pairs were randomized to follow a healthy vegan diet or a healthy omnivorous diet for 8 weeks. Diet-specific meals were provided via a meal delivery service from baseline through week 4, and from weeks 5 to 8 participants prepared their own diet-appropriate meals and snacks.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was difference in LDL cholesterol concentration from baseline to end point (week 8). Secondary outcome measures were changes in cardio-metabolic factors (plasma lipids, glucose, and Insulin levels and serum trimethylamine N-oxide level), plasma vitamin B12 level, and body weight. Exploratory measures were adherence to study diets, ease or difficulty in following the diets, participant energy levels, and sense of well-being.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this randomized clinical trial of the cardio-metabolic effects of omnivorous vs vegan diets in identical twins, the healthy vegan diet led to improved cardio-metabolic outcomes compared with a healthy omnivorous diet. Clinicians can consider this dietary approach as a healthy alternative for their patients.

See also

• You are what you eat - a twin experiment (Netflix documentary, 2024)
• Christopher Gardner on Netflix’s ‘You Are What You Eat’ (Stanford)
• The Stanford Twins Experiment: Vegan vs Omnivore Diet in Identical Twins (Nutrition made simple)
• Scientist fact-checks New Netflix Diet Documentary: Vegan vs Omnivore Twins (Nutrition made simple)