WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A recent study carried out by researchers from the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Freiburg in Germany found that changing your diet may begin to affect how your genes work within just a few weeks.
Published in MedComm, the study found several changes in the body's chemistry, particularly in processes that control how genes are switched on and off. Compared with people who ate more meat, those following a vegan diet showed changes associated with lower inflammation, changes in metabolism and potentially slower biological aging.
To understand how diet affects the body, researchers studied blood samples from 48 healthy adults who took part in a controlled diet study. Everyone followed the same diet for one week before being randomly assigned to either a vegan diet or a meat-rich diet for one month. Both diets provided a similar number of calories, allowing researchers to study the effects of the foods themselves rather than changes caused by weight loss.
The researchers examined more than 800,000 DNA methylation sites before and after the diet period. DNA methylation is a chemical process that can influence how genes work without changing the DNA itself. Instead of focusing on individual genes, the researchers looked for wider changes in biological processes.
At the end of the study, researchers observed that the vegan diet appeared to shift the immune system toward a less inflammatory state. Participants on the vegan diet were predicted to have fewer neutrophils, immune cells that can contribute to inflammation, and more CD4 T cells, which help control immune responses.
The researchers also found changes in genes linked to cell growth and cancer-related pathways. Increased DNA methylation in these areas can reduce the activity of certain genes, suggesting that the diet may affect processes involved in cell growth. Other changes were linked to fat metabolism, insulin signaling, DNA repair and the body's response to stress.
However, the researchers stressed that the study was small, involving only 48 healthy adults, and lasted just one month. The DNA methylation changes were also relatively small and occurred across many areas of the genome. Therefore, larger and longer studies are needed to confirm the results and determine whether these changes can actually lead to better health or lower disease risk.
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