A pair of identical twins who took part in a study, in which one switched to a vegan diet, while the other ate meat, had some interesting findings.
Hugo and Ross Turner - who share the same genetics as identical twins - took part in a 12-week study at Kings College London, where Hugo ate a fully vegan diet and Ross kept his usual diet of meat, dairy and fish.
Both maintained the same number of calories each day and had the same workout routine.
The pair, who have travelled all over the world taking part in intense exhibitions, rely on a balanced diet and fitness regime to support their lifestyle.
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They wanted to observe what kind of changes they noticed and if it had any impact on their bodies.
Hugo and Ross had previously taken part in another experiment, in which they compared a high-fat diet to a high-carb.
Ross told Men's Health: "At the end of last year we did a test of high-fat vs high-carb. I was on a high-fat diet and I shredded. I lost about 3kg of fat; Hugo was on high-carb and he put on 3kg."
The experiment
Hugo had never eaten a vegan diet prior to the experiment, and said that in the first few weeks, he craved meat and cheese.
“The first couple of weeks [I] was really craving meat and dairy and cheese – I love cheese," he said.
However, he did notice the benefits, adding that he had more energy.
"My energy levels in the gym were much, much better. We were going to the gym five, six times a week and I didn’t have a session where I thought, 'I don’t really have any energy,'" Hugo told Men's Health.
"I was the opposite. I was very hungry at 10 or 11 o’clock. I had those big spikes of energy and then I’d crash. But then the results [of our training] have been very different – I put on weight, and Hugo has lost it," Ross added.
Their findings
Despite renewed energy levels, researchers saw Hugo's gut bacteria drop 'severely', which made him more susceptible to illness.
Ross' stayed the same as he was maintaining his normal diet.
However, after the full 12 weeks, the team at Kings College London said there were some minor differences between the brothers.
For example, Hugo's cholesterol dropped dramatically and he lost 4kg of weight in the first two to three weeks.
Meanwhile, Ross said: "We wore continuous glucose monitors: they go on the back of your triceps and connect to your phone. I was spiking, going down, having that sugar low – or meat low – and Hugo was far more satiated."
At the end of the 12 weeks, Hugo lost 1kg of fat and gained 1.2kg of muscle mass, while Ross gained 2.8kg of fat and 4kg of muscle mass.
Dr Tim Spector from the Department of Twin Research at Kings College London explained: “On average vegans are healthier than meat eaters, but within that there’s a huge range and there are some very unhealthy vegans."
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Lucy Devine