09/08/2026
A new study suggests a vegan diet may influence how our genes behave — and the changes appeared in just one month.
Researchers from UC San Diego and the University of Freiburg assigned 48 healthy adults to either a vegan or meat-rich diet and analyzed more than 800,000 DNA methylation sites before and after the trial.
The vegan group showed changes linked to immune function, metabolism and cell growth, including signs of a less inflammatory immune profile. Two epigenetic clocks, PhenoAge and GrimAge, also indicated a slowing of biological aging in the vegan group.
Not ready to go fully vegan? Researchers say "making plants the default and meat the exception" could potentially nudge inflammation-related epigenetic patterns in the same direction.