UC San Diego Study Finds 4-Week Vegan Diet Slows Aging Markers, Lowers Inflammation
Updated
Updated · KPBS · Aug 4
UC San Diego Study Finds 4-Week Vegan Diet Slows Aging Markers, Lowers Inflammation
3 articles · Updated · KPBS · Aug 4
Summary
A 48-person randomized trial found participants on a vegan diet for four weeks showed measurable shifts in DNA methylation, including slower epigenetic clocks tied to biological aging.
More than 800,000 methylation sites were analyzed before and after the diet intervention, with the vegan group showing changes linked to immune function, metabolism and cancer-related pathways.
The same group also shifted toward a less inflammatory immune profile, with predicted lower neutrophil levels and higher CD4 T-cell proportions that matched blood measurements.
Researchers said the DNA changes were modest and spread across the genome, so larger and longer studies are needed to test whether they translate into lower disease risk.