A vegan diet can reduce a person's biological age.
A vegan diet can reduce biological ageing
A new study has found that eating plant-based meals for just eight weeks can lead to decreases in the ages of the heart, hormone, liver, inflammatory and metabolic systems - which were not seen in those who ate meat, eggs and dairy.
Those who went vegan lost 2kg more on average compared to those who did not, which may have contributed to observed differences in the biological age between the two groups.
However, Tom Sanders - professor emeritus of Nutrition and Dietetics at King's College London - sounded the warning that a vegan diet will not be helpful for older people.
Professor Sanders, who was not involved in the research, said: "Although observational studies indicate that vegan diets may have favourable effects on health in middle age (such as a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes), this is not the case in older vegans who seem more likely to suffer from muscle loss, low bone density and neurological disorders which have a significant impact on the quality of life.
"Indeed, life expectancy does not differ in vegans compared with those who select mixed diets."