Twin brothers became different because of meat and vegan diets. An honest experiment

How much do you think your body can change if you deprive it of its usual food? Or rather, if you replace it with vegan food? Twin brothers Hugo en Ross Turner from the UK decided to find the answer to this question. Absolutely identical in appearance and genetically, with similar habits, they decided to participate in the experiment. The results were astonishing.

Why were the Turner brothers chosen for the experiment?

Well, they weren’t really chosen. They decided to set themselves a test to check how useful the fashionable vegan diet is, and asked for help from scientists from King’s College London.

The Turner twins are the perfect candidates for the intended experiment. Bloggers, travelers, people known in their environment. But most importantly, Hugo and Ross are practically identical: in appearance, genetically, in habits and sports hobbies. So the purity of the experience was guaranteed.

Before the experiment, the men were similar in physique, weight, which was about 84 kg, and fat mass index – 13% for both.

Vegan and meat-eater

According to the rules of the experiment, one of the brothers had to completely change the usual diet, replacing it with a vegan one. That is, to give up meat, fish, seafood, milk, eggs, and the other – to consume the usual food, in which meat was more than usual. Importantly, the number of calories per day had to be the same.

For 12 weeks, Hugo and Ross did exactly identical physical activities in the gym and spent the same amount of time there. One week there were six workouts, the other week five, and the exercises mainly developed endurance. The brothers’ health was closely monitored by scientists.

A slimmer Hugo

The twins cast lots, and Hugo became a vegan. At first he lost weight sharply, but then almost restored all the parameters with which he started the diet. As a result, the man weighed 82.1 kg, and the fat layer decreased from 13 to 12 percent.

Hugo’s gut microbiome has changed dramatically. The microbiome is the environment in which microorganisms live and the resources they use. These changes in Turner’s body reduced his risk of obesity and diabetes, and lowered his blood cholesterol. But it also increased the likelihood of ulcers and scarring in the gastrointestinal tract.

The vegan on the lot noticed that he became more energetic and focused. However, his sex drive was completely gone. Of course, other reasons could have played a role, but the fact remains.

A beefed-up Ross

Ross’s food was familiar, the body did not have to readjust, and therefore the results were expected. The man pumped up, gained mass to 86 kg, and in his body became 15 percent of fat. But the increase in total weight was mainly due to muscle tissue.

Naturally, there was no change in Ross’ gut microbiome, nor were there any cholesterol spikes. The meat-eating brother chose to remain silent about his sex drive.

So what’s better?

The question for which everything was going on remained unanswered. Although the brothers became different both internally and externally. By the way, they both returned to their original state. Of course, you can say that the vegan diet does not give anything, but this would not be true. There are pros and cons to every diet, and the more varied it is, the better.

After the end of the experiment, the Turners returned to their usual menu, agreeing with the scientists that the experience should be repeated, only stretch it for a year. This will allow more accurate conclusions to be drawn.