Article: Revisiting the Famous Twin Study
Health can feel amorphous sometimes. Eat better, exercise, lose weight… We often hear this general advice, but how much of a difference can this make if we’re already relatively healthy? And really… how long does it take to see results? With the current world spinning at a dizzying speed, we all want a guarantee that our choices are going to lead to results... and fast!
So how long does it take to see results after making a dietary change in generally healthy adults? According to a recent study from Stanford and University of California, about a month.
In a fascinating study by Landry et al, just published this month in the Journal Nutrition, Obesity and Exercise, researchers compared identical (mono-zygotic) twins, asking the question, is there a benefit to going fully plant based when compared to eating an unprocessed diet with organic meat, dairy and eggs?
Now, whenever I read a nutrition study, I always ask myself, is this study being set up to fail? If we are comparing dietary interventions, are they on an equal playing field? Did the authors just compare a plant-based diet to a Standard American Diet (SAD)? No. With Professors Christopher Gardner of Stanford and Justin Sonnenburg of UC Palo Alto as co-authors, we can rest assured that they chose a fair comparison. Both groups consumed essentially the same thing, with only the addition of high quality meat, dairy and eggs in the omnivorous group.
“Guiding principles were reinforced: (1) choose minimally processed foods; (2) build a balanced plate with vegetables, starch, protein, and healthy fats; (3) choose variety within each food group; and (4) individualize these guidelines to meet preferences and needs“ (1).
So what happened? Both groups saw benefits from just cutting out the processed carbohydrates and added sugars, but the fully plant-based group did the best.
On the fully plant-based diet LDL cholesterol improved the most, fasting insulin levels went down by about 20% and they lost an average of 4.2 lbs more than the omnivorous group in just 8 weeks. And that was without asking participants to lose weight – they just did. Which begs the question, was it the weight loss or the reduction in saturated fat that improved the LDL cholesterol? The study can’t speak to that. I suspect that the answer is likely: both.
“Although our findings suggest that vegan diets offer a protective cardiometabolic advantage compared with a healthy, omnivorous diet, excluding all meats and/or dairy products may not be necessary because research suggests that cardiovascular benefits can be achieved with modest reductions in animal foods and increases in healthy plant-based foods compared with typical diets“ (1). Just another reason why I specialize in helping clients transition towards a plant predominant dietary pattern.
Looking to make the transition towards a plant predominant dietary pattern but not sure where to start? Want confirmation that your cholesterol is improving with the convenience of affordable at-home lab draws? Schedule your FREE new patient consult with Lifestyle Medicine Maine and make sure to check out our Black Friday offer, good until midnight on 12/31/2023.
References
Cardiometabolic Effects of Omnivorous vs Vegan Diets in Identical TwinsA Randomized Clinical Trial. Landry et al. Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) (2023) https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2812392
Key Words: twin study, you are what you eat netflix, plant based netflix series, plant based documentary, lifestyle medicine Maine, biohacking diet, biohacking diet plan, ideal diet, inside tracking, Optimal plant based diet, lifestyle medicine practice, weight loss clinic near me, plant-based diet coach, wellness weight loss center, at home blood draw service near me, metabolic weight loss coach, integrated weight loss, wellness center near me, weight loss clinic name, weight loss clinic Portland, B12 injection near me, plant-based doctors near me, plant-based health and weight loss, eat your veggies, weight loss coach, reduce systemic inflammation, weight loss and wellness center, weight loss injections Portland Maine, weight loss injections near me, bio hacking diet, gut health 101, Ozempic weight loss clinic near me, Semaglutide for weight loss near me, Mounjaro weight loss clinic near me, Zepbound weight loss clinic near me, Saxenda weight loss clinic near me, Wegovy weight loss clinic near me, reverse prediabetes, reverse, high blood pressure, reverse type 2 diabetes, Weight and wellness clinic Portland Maine. Article: Revisiting the Famous Twin Study
Comments