Compared to a healthy omnivorous diet, a healthy vegan diet was associated with improved cardiometabolic parameters, including decreases in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, fasting insulin levels, and body weight in an 8-week study of identical twins.
Dietary patterns with high plant-based and low animal-based foods are associated with positive health and environmental outcomes. A well-formulated vegan diet is high in fiber, vitamins, phytonutrients, and minerals and is considered beneficial for cardiometabolic health. A randomized controlled trial compared the efficacy of healthy omnivorous and vegan diets in improving various cardiometabolic measures among identical twins. The primary endpoint was the difference in the levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). The secondary outcomes assessed in the trial included changes in the levels of plasma vitamin B12, lipids, glucose, insulin, trimethylamine N-oxide, and body weight. The findings are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Baseline Characteristics
The study included 22 pairs of twins, with 77.3% of the study population being female. The mean age of the participants was 39.6 ± 12.7 years, and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 25.9 ± 4.8 kg/m2.
Diet and Nutrient Intervention
The study intervention spanned 8 weeks, comprising two 4-week phases. The reported energy intake during the study intervention was relatively lower during the study period compared to the baseline energy intake.
Dietary Patterns and Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels
The vegan diet group demonstrated a statistically greater decline in LDL-C levels from baseline to 8 weeks (110.7 ± 32 at baseline vs. 95.5 mg/dL ± 6.3 mg/dL at 8 weeks) compared to the omnivorous diet group (118.5 ± 35.2 at baseline vs. 116.1 ± 6.7 mg/dL at 8 weeks). Compared to participants in the omnivorous diet group, the vegan diet group participants demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in mean LDL-C levels at 4 weeks.
Dietary Patterns and Secondary Outcomes
From baseline to 8 weeks of intervention, the vegan group participants demonstrated a significant decrease in fasting insulin levels (p = 0.03) and body weight (p = 0.01). In addition, the vegans experienced a larger decline in levels of vitamin B12, trimethylamine N-oxide, triglycerides, glucose, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol at 8 weeks compared to the participants in the omnivorous group. Contrarily, omnivorous participants had greater diet satisfaction compared to vegans, measured at 4 and 8 weeks of dietary intervention.
Source:
Landry, M. J., Schneider, C., Cunanan, K., Durand, L. R., Perelman, D., Robinson, J. L., Hennings, T., Koh, L. P., Dant, C., Zeitlin, A. B., Ebel, E. R., Sonnenburg, E. D., Sonnenburg, J. L., & Gardner, C. D. (2023). Cardiometabolic Effects of Omnivorous vs Vegan Diets in Identical Twins. JAMA Network Open, 6(11), e2344457. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.44457
