Identical Twins Went On Separate Vegan & Meat Diets To Test The Impacts

A pair of identical twins submitted themselves to become a pair of human guinea pigs in order to investigate whether a vegan diet is healthier than eating meat and dairy.

Back in 2021, Hugo and Ross Turner went on separate vegan and meat diets to see what the impact would be on their bodies. Filmed by the BBC, the pair took on the different diets for a period of 12 weeks to assess how the change in eating habits affected them.

Conducted by King’s College London, the study had Hugo following a plant-based diet, while Ross was allowed to eat meat, dairy and fish.

As well as consuming the same amount of calories each day, the brothers also followed the same gym routine.

"We wanted to use the model of identical twins, who are genetic clones, to test the effect of diet and exercise and how these individuals respond to different types of food," said Professor Tim Spector, an epidemiologist at King’s who led the research, speaking in a video for BBC Reel.

During the short film, Hugo explained: “I was on the vegan diet and it really does take a hit on your body.

“I think the first couple of weeks it was really craving and wanting meat and dairy and cheese. I love cheese.

“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.”

Compared to meat-eater Ross, vegan Hugo experienced a massive drop in cholesterol and a sharp increase in resistance to type 2 diabetes.

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Notably, the vegan diet was associated with a steadier blood sugar level and energy level, while the carnivorous diet resulted in harsher peaks and dips of energy. Interestingly, however, the vegan diet resulted in a severe reduction in gut bacteria diversity, while it remained stable during the meat and dairy diet. In theory, this means that vegan Hugo could potentially have been more susceptible to illnesses compared to Ross.

According to Insider, at the start of the diet, Hugo weighed 185 pounds and had 13 percent body fat.

By the end of the 12 weeks, he weighed 181 pounds and dropped to 12 percent body fat.

In comparison, Ross also had 13 percent body fat at the start, but he put on 10 pounds of muscle, and also gained fat, bringing his end body fat percentage up to 15 percent and his weight to 189 pounds.