Medical Discovery News
Science permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred-word newspaper column (http://www.illuminascicom.com/) and two-minute radio show provide insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine. Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.
Medical Discovery News
Does a Vegan Diet Slow Biological Aging
941 Does a Vegan Diet Slow Biological Aging
Welcome to Medical Discovery News. I’m Dr David Niesel.
And I’m Dr. Norbert Herzog
Dave, it’s hard not to cringe about this episode after I just ate brisket at my favorite BBQ joint.
Could that be because we’re about to talk about how vegan diets are better for you? That even eating a limited vegan diet can reduce your biological age.
So, we both could benefit from paying attention since we’re omnivores which means we eat a mixture of vegetables and meat. This study involving sets of twins on eight weeks of vegan vs omnivore diets showed those on the vegan diet aged slower.
This adds to other studies showing a vegan diet lowers heart disease risk, inflammation, and cancer risk. One study that followed more than three hundred thousand people showed the diet reduced type two diabetes risk by twenty percent.
This clinical study used twenty one sets of twins, divided into two groups. They were slightly overweight. Everyone in the study received nutrition counseling and ate prepared meals for half of the eight weeks.
One group ate a regular diet with a mixture of meat and vegetables while the other ate a vegan diet. After eight weeks, the vegan group lost about four pounds.
Halfway through and at the end of the study, the twins’ DNA were measured for chemical changes. By the end, researchers saw a decrease in the biological age of only the vegan group. They also found less aging in the kidney, heart, liver and inflammatory systems in this group.
They’ll need more studies to confirm that vegan diets slow biological aging which if proven would add to the body of work that suggests eating a plant diet may be better for your health.
We are Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, at UTMB and Quinnipiac University, where biomedical discoveries shape the future of medicine. For much more and our disclaimer go to medicaldiscoverynews.com or subscribe to our podcast. Sign up for expanded print episodes at www.illuminascicom.com
