The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee

One Twin Goes Vegan, One Does Not: 8 Weeks, Big Results | Dr. Christopher Gardner

Sep 12, 2024

Dr. Christopher Gardner, a renowned nutrition researcher and Stanford professor, discusses a fascinating study involving 22 sets of identical twins. One twin adopted a plant-based diet while the other followed an omnivorous regimen. The results were striking: the vegan twin lost more weight, improved cholesterol levels, and enhanced insulin response in just eight weeks. Gardner dives into the implications of diet on aging and health, while addressing challenges from the study and the nuances of communicating nutritional science.

42:09

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Christopher Gardner

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Quick takeaways

The study revealed that after eight weeks, the twin on a plant-based diet experienced significant improvements in LDL cholesterol and fasting insulin levels compared to their meat-eating sibling.

The podcast underscores the importance of respectful dialogue around dietary studies, especially in addressing criticisms of methodologies and the portrayal of findings in popular media.

Deep dives

Study Design and Intervention

The study involves 22 sets of identical twins participating in a randomized control trial, where one twin follows a plant-based diet and the other a healthy omnivorous diet for eight weeks. Special care was taken to ensure that both diets emphasized nutritious food choices, avoiding unhealthy options that could skew results. The vegan diet included beans, whole grains, and various Mediterranean and Latin American dishes, while the omnivorous diet consisted of a mix of fish, chicken, eggs, and dairy, with 70% of the calories coming from plant sources. This design aimed to provide a fair comparison between the two dietary approaches, giving both the best opportunity for health benefits.

Intro

5min

Vegan vs. Omnivore: A Twin Study

7min

Exploring Vegan Diets and Health Outcomes

12min

Navigating Nutritional Debates: Emphasizing Plant-Based Choices

4min

Navigating Nutritional Science Communication

9min

Embracing Community and Wellness Through Knowledge

5min

The premise: 22 sets of healthy twins are put to the test. One identical twin begins to eat an entirely plant-based diet while their sibling eats a meaty omnivorous diet.

While 70% of the diets were identical, 30% of the omnivorous diet was comprised of meat and other animal foods. It would be that 30% that proved the difference maker in terms of the cardiometabolic health of the twins.

In just eight weeks the changes were nothing short of astounding.

On average, the twin eating the plant-based diet lost an additional four pounds, lowered their LDL ("bad") cholesterol by 15 points, and experienced a 20 percent improvement in fasting insulin compared to their meat eating sibling.

Go inside the remarkable study that was the basis for the hit Netflix documentary You Are What You Eat.

Nutrition scientist and Stanford professor Christopher Gardner, PhD, is one of the lead researchers of the study. He outlines the findings and takes you behind the scenes of the documentary when he joins "The Weight Loss Champion" Chuck Carroll on The Exam Room Podcast.

Topics Discussed

- Telomeres lengthening with plant-base diet

- Genetics, biological clocks, and aging

- Cholesterol effects on twins

- Challenges of the study

- Responding to criticism

- And more

This episode was recorded at the International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine in Washington, D.C.

— — SHOW LINKS — —

Vegan Twin Study

https://bit.ly/TwinStudyVegan

— — —

You Are What You Eat

Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81133260

— — —

Dr. Christopher Gardner

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cgardnerphd

X: https://x.com/GardnerPhD

— — EVENTS — —

Charlottesville VegFest

Where: Charlottesville, VA

Date: September 15

Tickets: http://www.veganrootsfest.org

— — —

Wellness Weekend

Where: Davis, WV

Date: September 27-28

Tickets: https://www.brendaworkmanspeaks.com/wellness-weekend

— — —

Power Foods Revolution Tour

Where: New York City

Date: October 5

Tickets: https://bit.ly/PowerFoodsNYC

— — BECOME AN EXAM ROOM VIP — —

— — THIS IS US — —

The Exam Room Podcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theexamroompodcast

— — —

Chuck Carroll

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ChuckCarrollWLC

Facebook: http://wghtloss.cc/ChuckFacebook

X: https://www.twitter.com/ChuckCarrollWLC

— — —

Physicians Committee

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/physicianscommittee

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PCRM.org

X: https://www.twitter.com/pcrm

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/PCRM

Jobs: https://www.pcrm.org/careers

— — SUBSCRIBE & SHARE — —

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The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee

One Twin Goes Vegan, One Does Not: 8 Weeks, Big Results | Dr. Christopher Gardner

Episode guests