Vegan diet improved heart health
A study by US scientists involving identical twins has found that a vegan diet is beneficial for promoting cardiovascular health.
The study by scientists from the University of California and Stanford University (USA) involved 22 pairs of identical twins, of which 33 were female. The average age of the subjects was 39.6 years, and the average body mass index was 25.9, none of them had signs of cardiovascular disease. The study itself was conducted from May through July 2022, and the results are presented in the journal JAMA Network Open.
Both groups were provided with a healthy diet containing vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds. However, one of the twins also always consumed an optimal, healthy amount of meat, while the diet of the other was strictly plant-based (and some of the participants were on a vegan diet before the experiment). There was no special restriction in the caloric content of the meals; the participants ate until they were full.
For the first four weeks, both groups were delivered specially prepared meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner and given strict instructions about what snacks they could and could not eat. For example, the twins were forbidden to eat processed foods and had to maintain a balance and variety of different types of food. In the second part of the experiment, that is, another four weeks, the participants prepared the same food for themselves, recording all meals in a journal.
The results showed that both groups of participants had improved cardiovascular health. But the twins on a plant-based diet showed greater improvements compared to those who consumed animal products throughout the experiment.
The "vegans" had a 20 percent decrease in insulin levels, high levels of which are known to be a risk factor for diabetes, as well as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (so-called bad cholesterol). It is this compound that is responsible for increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Its optimal value in the body is considered to be less than 100 milligrams per deciliter (the measurement system adopted in the United States).
The average level of "bad" cholesterol before the experiment in omnivorous participants was 118.5 milligrams per deciliter and after it fell to 116.1. In the group of vegans before the study, this indicator was equal to 110.7, at the end of the study - 95.5 milligrams per deciliter. It is also interesting that, on average, during the experiment, "vegans" lost two kilograms more than omnivorous participants.