Why the Vegan Twin Study Got it Wrong

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Feb 23, 2024

Dive into the controversial twin study that compares vegan and omnivore diets, revealing surprising findings and inherent biases. Explore the complexities of dietary choices and their impact on health and the environment. The discussion critically examines the study's hidden agendas and funding influences. Tune in for insights on personalized nutrition, emphasizing a balanced approach that combines plant-rich diets with responsibly sourced animal products, all while navigating the dietary landscape responsibly.

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INSIGHT

Nutrition Research Confusion

Nutrition research can be confusing due to different study types like population studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
Population studies show correlations, not causations, while RCTs, like the vegan twin study, aim to prove cause and effect.

INSIGHT

LDL Cholesterol Misconception

Vegan diets are known to lower LDL cholesterol, but LDL alone isn't the best predictor of heart disease.
More comprehensive markers like APOB and lipoprotein fractionation offer better insights into cardiovascular health.

ADVICE

Comprehensive Heart Health Assessment

Don't rely solely on LDL cholesterol for assessing heart health.
Consider a comprehensive cardiometabolic panel including lipoprotein fractionation, inflammatory markers, and insulin levels.

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Today, we're zooming in on a groundbreaking study that comes from Stanford University and was recently published in JAMA Network Open. The researchers put a vegan diet head-to-head with an omnivorous diet in twenty-two pairs of identical twins. The buzz around this study has been immense, sparking conversations everywhere—from social media to professional circles. Adding to the excitement, this research forms the basis of a new Netflix documentary called "You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment."

In this episode of my Health Bites series, I discuss the many conflicts of interest, funding sources, and hidden agendas that were not fully disclosed but could have had a major hand in clouding the study's conclusions and real-world applications. We’ll also get into the Netflix docuseries itself—what they got right vs. what they got wrong, as well as the Functional Medicine approach to diet and how we can feed our bodies to create health while taking care of the planet in a healthy, sustainable, and ethical way.

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In this episode, I discuss (audio version / Apple Subscriber version):

Why nutrition research is so confusing (7:26 / 5:36)
Overview of the Stanford study design and findings (11:57 / 10:07)
Issues with the study design (27:10 / 24:10)
Conflicts of interest and ethical considerations with this study (38:19 / 35:19)
Other research on vegan diets (44:44 / 41:44)
What the Netflix documentary got right and wrong (1:00:23 / 57:23)
How to eat for your health and the environment (1:08:43 / 1:05:43)