Twins Who Adopted Vegan and Meat Diets Share Major Body Changes They Experienced

Two identical twins, Hugo and Ross Turner, embarked on a fascinating scientific journey to explore the impact of diet on the human body.

Over a 12-week period, the twins adopted distinct diets—one went vegan while the other continued eating meat. Since they share identical genetic makeup, their experiment promises insightful results.

Harvard University experts suggest a balanced diet consisting of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, proteins, and healthy oils. However, many people explore strict diets like keto, paleo, or engage in intermittent fasting.

The paleo diet mimics foods consumed by our ancestors 10,000 to 2.5 million years ago, such as eggs, fish, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables. Meanwhile, the keto diet is low in carbohydrates, focusing on obtaining calories from proteins rather than sugars, pastries, white bread, and sodas.

The Turner brothers joined forces with Kings College London in 2021 to assess dietary impacts on the body. Their methodology was straightforward—Hugo followed a vegan diet, whereas Ross’s diet included meat, dairy, and fish. Both consumed identical calorie amounts and maintained similar exercise routines, isolating diet as the sole variable.

What were the notable bodily changes they experienced?

Hugo reported feeling more energetic on his plant-based diet, while Ross noted that his gym performance varied due to his diet involving meat. Ross explained that he felt “very energetic” at times, but experienced “huge lulls” on other days.

In an interview with the BBC, Hugo shared: “I was now having to eat fruit and nuts and alternatives that didn’t have any dairy in them – and so that meant I was eating a lot more wholesome food, which meant that my sugar levels were a lot satiated during the day. I felt like I had more energy.”

However, Hugo noticed a significant drop in the diversity of his gut bacteria, whereas Ross’s remained stable, potentially reducing Ross’s susceptibility to illnesses.

Tests indicated Hugo’s cholesterol levels had significantly decreased, and he experienced weight loss and enhanced resistance to Type 2 diabetes.

Within the short period, veganism proved more effective for reducing body fat, as Hugo shed four pounds and decreased his body fat by one percent.

Conversely, Ross gained 10 pounds of muscle but also increased his body fat percentage from 13 to 15 percent.

Despite these significant short-term changes, the twins concluded that there wasn’t “a huge difference, if any” between the two diets.