“I was eating a lot more wholesome food, which meant that my sugar levels were a lot satiated during the day. I felt more energetic.”

A pair of identical twins took part in a vegan vs meat fitness study to see which diet worked best.

Ross and Hugo Turner – aka the Turner Twins – are British adventurers best known for their world first expeditions.

The duo took part in a 12-week long study with King’s College London.

The journey has been documented by the BBC.

For the study, Hugo followed a vegan diet while Ross continued to eat meat.

They ate the same amount of calories each day and even carried out the same gym training.

Study observations

While Hugo initially found his switch to a plant-based diet difficult, he eventually felt he was more energetic.

 Hugo told BBC: “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.”

He added: “I was eating a lot more wholesome food, which meant that my sugar levels were a lot satiated during the day. I felt more energetic.”

In contrast, Ross, on the omnivore diet, felt his gym performance was “up and down a little bit more”.

In an earlier interview, he told Men’s Health: “I was the opposite. I was very hungry at 10 or 11 o’clock. I had those big spikes of energy and then I’d crash…We wore continuous glucose monitors: they go on the back of your triceps and connect to your phone. I was spiking, going down, having that sugar low – or meat low – and Hugo was far more satiated.”

Ross also noticed how much processed food he was eating in comparison to his twin’s super healthy vegan meals.

By the end of the experiment, Ross’ cholesterol stayed the same at 6.5 whereas Hugo’s dropped “off the scale” to 4.9.

Moreover, Hugo’s obesity levels fell. He lost 1kg of fat and gained 1.2kg of muscle mass, while Ross gained 2.8kg of fat and 4kg of muscle mass.

Hugo also found his resistance to Type-2 diabetes increased.

Since completing the experiment, Hugo said he has now changed his diet to include a lot more different things.

“I eat the rainbow, eat everything in moderation. You have a balanced diet – that’s really the key,” he said.

Other studies

 This isn’t the first time a switch to a vegan diet has resulted in health benefits.

A separate study comparing a low-fat plant-based diet with a Mediterranean one found the planet-based more effective in reducing weight and cholesterol.

The results showed participants lost almost 4kg more fat mass on the vegan diet.

Whilst the ones on the Mediterranean diet reported no significant changes in cholesterol, those who ate plant-based dropped their levels by 18.7mg.

An independent 2,000-person poll conducted by UK health store Holland & Barrett found that a plant-based diet leads to weight loss, glowing skin, and increased libido.

• Read: Eating vegetable fat instead of meat linked to 12% drop in stroke risk, study finds

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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