Lifestyle
What Can We Learn From The Twin Experiment??
5min read
Have you watched the latest Netflix documentary, ‘Twin experiment: You are what you eat”?
I whizzed through in one sitting and was so fired up afterwards I dug into the Stanford Medicine scientific papers and shared summary with allplants team the following day with what blew me away the most.
Read on for the core findings that left me jaw-dropped.
Don’t want spoilers? Save this article and come back to it.
Picture this: 30 sets of twins, randomly split into two groups—one twin embracing an entirely plant-based diet, the other opting for an omnivorous diet. The findings are pretty jaw dropping (even for someone who thought they were well versed in the benefits of a vegan diet).
You might have different takeaways, which I’d love to hear. Below are the standout results for me:
🫀Visceral Fat: A Hidden Culprit in Lifestyle Disease
In the labyrinth of our bodies, nestled around vital organs, lies visceral fat—the silent accomplice to lifestyle diseases. Plant-based twins witnessed a discernible drop in these dangerous fat levels, a promising sign for long-term health. In stark contrast, their omnivorous counterparts experienced no such transformation.
🧬 Telomeres: Ageing Backwards in Just 8 Weeks
This one is WILD. Telomeres are part of our DNA that protects the end of our chromosomes and gradually wears down, so shortening as we age. Astonishingly, the plant-based twins displayed an unexpected phenomenon—Stanford found that their telomeres lengthened in just 8 weeks (no change on omnivorous), showing a reducing in biological age. So these lucky twins managed to slow or even reverse their cellular ageing!? This remarkable revelation calls for further exploration into the fountain of youth within our plates.
🩸TMAO Markers: A Battle Against Diabetes and Cardiovascular Issues
In the intricate ballet of our bloodstream, high TMAO markers increase the risks of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Again the divergence was striking with the plant-based twins TMAO substantially dropping after 8 weeks, an encouraging indication of reduced inflammation and lower blood pressure. A compelling case for the power of plant-centric nutrition in the fight against silent health adversaries.
🍆 Wholefood Vegetables
Vitally these were both healthy diets built around balanced and wholefood-centric plates of colourful delicious food. Yet, for most of the plant-based twins, navigating this uncharted culinary terrain proved an intimidating challenge. Because, let's admit it, embracing a new way of eating isn't always a seamless journey, in fact it’s hard to workout at times how to cook and what to eat!
What's abundantly clear for us debating this at allplants over the last few weeks is that helping everyone and anyone on that journey into eating more plants is a true honour. And obsessing over making sure it's lip-smackingly delicious so that it not only feels good and does good, but tastes incredible - that's an obsession we love to share together.
So, in the ongoing saga of Plants vs Animals on your plate, was it a knockout from the Plant Kingdom? For those smashing Veganuary, it sure feels like one. Let us know what your take is.
By Jonathan Petrides
JP can always be found hanging out with his friends and family – inside and outside allplants. He started the company with his brother to spread love, smiles and deliciousness – his personal favourite is the Protein Power Bowl.
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