Is a vegan diet healthier than eating meat and dairy? - BBC REEL

Identical twins Hugo and Ross Turner are adventure athletes that are always trying to find ways to improve their performance.

With the help of scientists at King's College London, they went on a 12-week fitness program with a twist: Hugo turned vegan, and Ross continued to eat meat.

Which diet is the best?

Video by Izabela Cardoso & Fernando Teixeira
Executive producer: Griesham Taan

#bbcreel #bbc #bbcnews

[jwmcneelyIII]

I went on a whole foods plant based diet about 3 years ago. Lost 50 lbs, cholesterol levels went from dangerous to optimal, I have far more energy and alertness, and my digestion is dramatically better.

[SteamalbRushu]

The problem is they compare whole food vegan vs standart processed food including everything (they call junk food meat based food which is not the same)
The comparison would have been better if it was whole food plant based vs whole food meat based

[minimalisthealth]

They've missed a trick here by not controlling for processed food intake. Either they should have allowed both a set amount of ultra-processed foods (burgers, fries, desserts, sausages) or should have had both go without it altogether. A lot of the large observational vegan studies show better outcomes, but that could be largely because the vegans are more given to consciously avoiding refined crappy food. In India, there is no diff in life expectancy in pre-dominantly veg states (Gujarat) and meat eating states (Kerala) when they're in the same GDP per capita range. This could be because Gujaratis are veg culturally, so their vegetarianism isn't a conscious dietary desicion and so they're as likely as others to eat crap. Strongly feel that vegan studies in the West are skewed because of this simple fact that when you choose to be vegan and have the will power to stick with it, you're also much likelier to choose to eat healthy and have the willpower to continue eating healthy. In a controlled study, they have missed a chance to control for what seems like a very obvious additional factor.

[ShadowzKiller]

Interesting study, but it still made the same mistake as I have seen in other discussions IMO. The biggest thing overlooked in this and many other vegan vs. "xxx" discussion diets is the fact the original diet of the individual who "turns vegan" is often, already unhealthy or the person had lacked original awareness of their daily diet. This is particularly underscored by how one of the twins commented how he was surprised how his "meat diet" composed of processed foods - why? You can eat very healthy foods including healthy, non-processed meat and dairy. I lived in Japan and the Japanese diet includes a rich variety of meat, fish, dairy, vegetables, fruit, etc., and it is still considered one of the healthiest in the world. Vegan diet seems to be so western-focused because food lifestyles in the West have declined steadily and this is also exhibited by research highlighting how there are obesity, diabetes and other health problems arising from poor diet and lack of exercise in Westernizing cities or Western countries compared to other parts of the world. If "going vegan" works for you, then great. My point is that food quality and general awareness of nutrition are fundamental in addition to exercise for leading a healthy lifestyle.

[iceyjo]

When people say they eat meat. The mean, I eat everything in the western diet including meat. Then they blame meat for their problems. Sugar and processed foods are the real killers. They unfortunately are in most diets.

[neilstleon]

I've been lifting weights since I was 20. I'm 52 now and went plant based when I was 30. The biggest thing I've noticed is I just don't seem to be aging on the plant based diet and when I ate lot's of meat I felt sluggish a lot of the time. I think for ultimate longevity the plant diet is better... just so long as you don't eat junk food and too much bread etc. For me I think it's better to make the conscious choice to not be a part of animal suffering anymore and definitely better for the natural environment. I WON'T BE RESPONDING TO ANY FURTHER COMMENTS AGAINST THE PLANT BASED LIFESTYLE.

[keithlynch]

I increased my meat consumption and started going to the gym, I started running again after a 30 year absence. I'm feeling healthier and happy after increasing my meat consumption and totally removing dairy products.

[whatishappening]

I would love to see a comparison of two twins where one has been vegan for at least 6 years

[shannaveganamcinnis-hurd]

58 year old vegan lady here. Gym rat, skier, hiker, swimmer. Veg for 8 years and vegan for 6. I feel younger and stronger than I did when I was 30. If there is a fountain of youth, it is the WHOLE FOOD vegan diet. I eat very little processed food.

[waynefenegan]

So Hugo (Vegan)'s diet gave him lower cholesterol, more stable energy levels, more resistance to type 2 diabetes and lower body fat, but the producers' takeaway is that the diets gave them broadly similar results. Eh?

[ResponseDigitalMedia]

So the one guy switched to vegan, and the other “continued to eat meat”. The question is what else was the meat eater eating? Doesn’t sound very scientific.

How about comparing vegan diet with a carnivore diet? That would have more meaningful data.

[bigslacker]

I ate 100% plant based for 4 years. As an athlete I was worried about performance and muscle loss. Turned out to be a non issue, I still performed very well and did the toughest ultra endurance MTB ride of my life in addition to great gym gains. However I didn't get a huge boost to energy levels as I was eating healthy/diverse before and already didn't do dairy. I love that in the vid they called out the fake meats and other vegan snacks being no healthier than processed meats in a 'normal' diet. I understand that they can help people who are used to eating a lot of meat convert over for ethics, but in terms of health they're not good. The takeaway is really to get that diversity of plants to help your gut microbiome, avoid processed foods and eat natural as much as possible regardless of vegan/omni. Health will follow.

[xxkrd]

There’s a difference. BBC trying to be non-biased and appear smart by saying “not disparate”. But cholesterol dropping significantly, resistance to diabetes for the Vegan are markedly different outcomes.

[Shane-zlry]

I've been whole food vegan for 2 years now. I'm healthier than ever. My only regret is I didn't start when I was younger.

[RoxinaSolerGamborena]

I am mostly eating (balanced) plant based for the last months; a true game changer: more energy, better skin, digestion issues gone...and rediscovering recipes and tunning them to my taste and ingredients availability. Plus, learning more and more about nutrition. A fascinating journey. Way easier than expected, and really really tasty and comforting.

[isaiahhiggins]

I think regardless of the specific diet you choose, it's beneficial to pay attention to what you eat and make adjustements based on how different foods affect you.

[heavensdick]

The conclusion of the video: “so we basically are not sure in anything, we are not even sure in this statement…”

[tacv]

05:32 "overall, Hugo and Ross' results were not that disparate. All agree there isn't a great difference, if any, between the two diets" and then they state "we both have high cholesterol and Hugos cholesterol dropped off the scale on a vegan diet." and also "My obesity level dropped, my resistance to type II diabetes increased. " So what is it then?!

[silkeotd]

The great thing is that you don't have to go 100% vegan to get big results. I ate vegan about 85% of the time (I'd still have milk in my coffee in restaurants, and would indulge in the occasional piece of chicken while eating out as well as eat things that I knew had dairy in them (ex. a donut with my coffee) yet I still had tremendous improvements in my health. I eliminated congestion (I no longer snored at night, I became a quiet breather, ) I dropped a LOT of weight without even dieting or trying to lose it, my blood pressure dropped by a large amount (I had very high blood pressure before) and I generally just looked and felt better. So I encourage everyone just to gradually increase (that's how I did it, not cold turkey) the vegan content of their diet until they mostly eat vegan, but not to be stuck on having to achieve 100%.

[bretthannah]

Going carnivore and ending up a lot healthier as a result is a big reason I’m still on this planet today. After being diagnosed with 4 different autoimmune diseases and going through 10 years of horrific pain and inflammation it has been the only thing that has finally given me a life back and made it worth living. I’ve got less inflammation, more energy, less pain and my monthly blood tests have improved immensely.