Vegetarians vs meat eaters, the battle rages on. Which diet is more advantageous to decelerate ageing? As much as scientists can ever investigate this as ageing is a process which evolves over an extended period of time which would defy any endeavour to credibly explore any dietary intervention with a definitive result experts are determined to provide the world with some sort of blueprint which informs healthy eating.
In an attempt to make this research as scientifically impressive as possible research mavens gathered together perfectly matched sets of twins, one required to go vegan and the other to eat meat and animal products and then they measured a set of parameters which would precisely identify the ideal diet which successfully slowed ageing.
Science can now estimate how rapidly we are getting older by examining our internal clock which quantifies how efficiently our cells are dividing, how quickly they are ageing and whether they are robust or more susceptible to developing diseases. Whichever diet put the brakes on the clock would be the winner.
Not only did the vegan diet beat the clock it also improved blood sugar control, reduced inflammation, went some way to reversing fatty liver disease and lowered the risk of developing heart disease, a resounding victory for the vegan approach. Despite this and the evidence that a plant-based diet has a profoundly impactful capacity to significantly diminish global warming this form of eating remains the domain of only a small number of devoted adherents.
The authors of this study concede that if the vegan diet is going to be adopted for the long haul those embracing veganism need to be aware that vital nutrients such as vitamin B12, iron, zinc, protein and essential fatty acids are not easily accessible with this diet and would need to be measured and topped up to prevent any deficiencies which would have significant adverse effects over an extended period.
