Identical twins separately ate vegan and meat-heavy diets for 3 months then compared the results
Many have been wondering about what diet is better. Should we all follow a vegan diet or is a meat-based diet more effective in trying to be fit?
It’s definitely hard to know for sure, especially when the people who try out certain diets are not exactly alike. In fact, it is more likely that what worked for others might not work the same way for you simply because you are different from one another, genetically speaking.
If only we can find two test subjects who are almost so alike that testing one form of diet versus another becomes almost 100% comparable. But, wait, it does seem that scientists have found the perfect pair of test subjects after all!
Meet Hugo and Ross Turner, twins from the United Kingdom, who participated in a study that compares the effects of a vegan diet compared to a meat-based diet. They are identical and are almost perfectly the same on a genetic level so why not them, right?
The Turner twins are more than happy to have participated in the study and immediately took on their role in the research.
For 12 weeks, Hugo (left) only ate a strict vegan diet while his brother, Ross (right) ate a meat-based diet for the same period of time. Basically, Ross’s meal plan consisted of veggies, too, but it is heavily laden with meat.
The scientists at King’s College helped the twins in conducting the experiment. They monitored the men’s weight, cholesterol levels, body fat percentage, and everything that had to be analyzed in the study. During the 12-week period, the twins have undergone intense work-out as a preparation for their future expeditions as they are very fond of travels, trekking, and exploring mountains and other continents.
After 12 weeks of religiously following the diet made for them to try, we can now finally see the results and compare what each twin experienced after the experiment.
Hugo, the twin who only munched on vegetables, started out at 185 lbs and with 13% body fat. After the study, he weighed 4 lbs less and his body fat percentage came down by 1%.
His energy levels increased and cholesterol levels dropped. He could also say that his mental focus is much better after the experiment. Apparently, there are also adverse results which, according to Hugo, included the fact that he seems to be “losing his libido”, but he noted that this might not be the case for other people.
On the other hand, Ross, the twin who had a meat-based food plan, started out at a weight of 175 lbs and 13% body fat. 12 weeks later, he ended up weighing 189 lbs after gaining 10 lbs of muscle and 4 lbs of body fat. His blood cholesterol level did not change and there is not much of a change from 12 weeks ago.
Hugo and Ross have thought about the results of their experiment and in the end, they realized they wanted to prolong the experiment next time to really see definitive results. They agreed that the next time they conduct the same experiment, they should spend at least 6 months to a year.
An interesting thing that the twins and the King’s College scientists learned from the experiment is that Hugo’s gut microbiome changed over the course of 12 weeks. This was after the scientists compared the fecal samples of the twins before and after the experiment.
It turned out that Hugo has gained resilience to type 2 diabetes and obesity, a proof that having a vegan diet really helps in fighting these chronic diseases. Ross’s microbiome did not really change as much as Hugo did.
The experiment led the twins to decide about incorporating more vegetables in their diet although they are not officially vegan yet. They summed that the key to a healthy diet is keeping it diverse and flexible.
Get to know more about the Turner twins by gracing their Instagram account.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Source: The Turner Twins, Bored Panda