(Newswire.net— June 6, 2020) — Identical twins Hugo and Ross Turner decided to perform a small experiment – to eat completely differently for a while, so that they could see what would happen, Insider reports.
Hugo ate only vegan food for 12 weeks, while Ross followed a diet rich in meat, and they were accompanied by a team of scientists for the entire duration.
During this experiment, scientists from London’s King’s College measured the change in weight, measured their blood cholesterol level, as well as muscle mass.
“We wanted to take bias and opinion out of it and takedown to the genetic level. We can get science involved because we’re twins and genetically identical, so we can compare ourselves in extreme environments,” Ross told Insider.
During that time, they both trained in the gym five to six times a week, and they were careful when preparing meals so that they consume almost the same amount of calories. At the end of the experiment, their physical condition differed significantly from that at the beginning.
Before eliminating meat from his diet, Hugo weighed 185 lbs and had 13 percent body fat. At the end of the experiment, he weighed 180 lbs, his fat decreased to 12 percent, and his cholesterol level dropped. He said that he felt he had more energy than before.
“On a vegan diet my mental focus was much better, I didn’t have the mid-afternoon energy dips, and felt a bit more charged,” Hugo told Insider. He added that it was because he changed his snack – instead of snacking on biscuits and chips between meals, as usual, he ate fruits and nuts.
Hugo also noticed one exception to his higher energy levels — changes to his libido, which he said dropped off sharply.
Ross started the experiment with a weight of 175 lbs and 13 percent fat. During the experiment, he gained 4.5 kilograms of muscle mass and 4 lbs of fat tissue. In the end, he weighed 189 lbs kilograms, and his fat rose to 15 percent. His cholesterol level remained the same.
Unlike other similar experiments, this one did not last long, so the twins pointed out that they would like to repeat the test again and that they are ready for a challenge of six months or even a year to make the results even more accurate.