### The Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet You've probably heard about various diet plans like the keto diet, Atkins, paleo, the Mediterranean diet, and intermittent fasting. Each seems to offer a different solution for your health concerns. However, following a vegan (or plant-based) diet might be the key to slowing down your body's aging process at a molecular level. A recent study followed 21 pairs of identical twins for 8 weeks. One twin was given vegan meals consisting mainly of vegetables, legumes, and fruits, while the other twin consumed meals that included meat and dairy products (an omnivorous diet). At the end of the study, bloodwork showed that those on the plant-based diet had a lower biological age, weight loss, and lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as “bad” cholesterol. The study, published in BMC Medicine, is part of Stanford University’s larger Twin Nutrition Study. There was even a Netflix series documenting it, titled *You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment*. If you're not already a vegan or vegetarian, switching to a plant-based diet might seem intimidating or impractical. However, nutrition experts emphasize that you don't need to adopt an all-or-nothing approach. Simply adjusting the ratio of plant-based foods in your diet can offer anti-aging benefits. Matthew Landry, PhD, a registered dietitian and assistant professor at the University of California, Irvine, compares going fully vegan to running a marathon. “Running a marathon is great, but it might not be the right choice for everyone. Even going out and doing a mile walk is beneficial to your health overall,” said Landry. “Just making small steps in the right direction adds up over time, making the harder stuff easier to do.” While the study's sample size was small – only 42 participants – most diet studies are limited due to the unique genetic makeup and familial history that shape how we eat and respond to food. Using identical twins helps control for biological and environmental factors, making the findings more compelling. However, the plant-based twins consumed fewer calories than their omnivorous counterparts, contributing to their weight loss. This makes it challenging for scientists to determine how much of the health benefits were due to the plant-based diet, weight loss, or a combination of both. According to Nate Wood, MD, director of culinary medicine at Yale School of Medicine, while living longer is great, the more important benefit is increasing the number of years you live a healthy, functional, and enjoyable life. “It’s not easy, but it is simple,” said Wood. “The more plants you eat, the better.”