So, as long as we’re eating the same diet, it may not matter how small our portions are, how much weight we lose, or how much we exercise; after a year, the subjects saw no benefit. In contrast, the individuals in the Ornish study on a whole food, plant-based diet who exercised only half as much and enjoyed the same amount of weight loss after just three months2016 appeared to acquire significant telomere protection.2017 In other words, neither the weight loss nor the exercise reversed cell aging by rebuilding telomeres. It was the food—and not just any diet.
