Can a vegan diet slow biological aging?
Switching to a vegan diet may help slow biological aging in as little as one month.
Researchers from the University of California San Diego and the University of Freiburg in Germany found that following a vegan diet for a month was linked to lower inflammation and slower biological aging than a meat-rich diet.
In this study, 48 healthy adults followed the same diet for a week and were then randomly assigned to either a vegan diet or a meat-rich diet for four weeks – both diets provided a similar number of calories so researchers could examine the effects of the foods eaten rather than weight loss.
Results showed how changing what you eat may reshape how your genes behave in as little as a few weeks, even though your DNA itself remains unchanged. In this study, they looked at more than 800,000 DNA methylation patterns in blood samples before and after the trial – these chemical markers show how genes are switched on and off.
They found evidence that a vegan diet may help reduce inflammation by lowering the number of neutrophils – immune cells that can drive inflammation – while increasing levels of CD4 T cells, which help regulate immune responses. Chronic inflammation is linked to a higher risk of cancer and other diseases and may also contribute to faster biological aging.
They also found that the vegan diet altered gene regulation in cancer‑related and cell‑growth pathways, reduced activity in genes involved in fat metabolism and increased activity in pathways linked to blood‑sugar control, DNA repair and cellular stress responses.
Slower biological aging
However, the most striking finding was related to biological aging. The researchers used ‘epigenetic clocks’ – mathematical biomarkers that estimate biological age based on patterns of DNA methylation rather than years lived. Two different clocks suggested that people following the vegan diet experienced slower biological aging over the one-month study.
Diet has long been linked to the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Yet we are only just beginning to understand the huge impact diet may have on how our genes are turned on and off. “Our genes are not our destiny,” said Jerome Mertens PhD, associate professor of neurosciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine and co-senior author of the study, who added “our biology is far more dynamic – and responsive to everyday choices – than we often assume.”
This small study suggests that what we eat can influence the biology of aging surprisingly quickly. The researchers suggest fibre, antioxidants and other beneficial plant compounds in a vegan diet may be responsible, potentially helping to support our gut microbiome, reduce inflammation and promote healthier aging.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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