Low fat or low carb? It’s a debate that’s been rampant in the fitness community for decades.
Now, a pair of identical twins have given fascinating insight into which is best when it comes to performance.
Ross and Hugo Turner, 36, both ate three meals per day plus two snacks, which was the equivalent of around 3,500 calories in total.
The Turner Twins also spent the 12 weeks similar workouts sessions involving a mixture of cardio and strength training. They rested every three days.
Hugo followed a high fat, low-carb diet and began consuming most of his calories in olive oil, butter, nuts, eggs and avocado.
Meanwhile, Ross began a eating more high-carb foods such as pasta and rice and decreased his high-fat food intake.
They both continued to eat whole protein sources like chicken and protein shakes.
By the end of the 12 weeks, Ross gained 2.2 pounds of muscle and lost two pounds of fat after following the high-carb diet.
Hugo Turner (left) remained on a high-fat diet approach for the time period while twin Ross Turner (right) went on a complete high-carb diet
He also lowered his cholesterol and managed to decrease his internal visceral fat (the most dangerous type linked to chronic diseases) from 11.5 percent to 11.1 percent.
His brother Hugo saw a more mixed picture after his high-fat diet.
He gained 6.6 pounds, lost 0.6 pounds of fat, saw no changes in his cholesterol levels and increased his internal visceral fat from 11.4 percent to 12.6 percent.
Visceral fat is belly fat found deep within the abdominal cavity. It surrounds important organs, including the stomach, liver and intestines.
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As well as losing more fat, Ross also performed better in cardiovascular tests while Hugo noted that he performed worse and felt more fatigued during intense exercises.
Data collected by University of Loughborough researchers also showed that Ross was able to run for longer by the end of the experiment while Hugo struggled.
Hugo told Business Insider: ‘I just never felt good. I was eating at least six times a day and never felt full or satisfied, hence I was constantly hungry. But equally, I didn’t have the crashes that I would probably associate with a higher-carb diet.’
At the end of the experiment, Ross also noted that he had craved the taste of high-fat foods but felt full.
Pictured: Hugo and Ross respectively before they started their 12 week diet
The Turner Twins also spent the 12 weeks similar workouts sessions involving a mixture of cardio and strength training using home gym equipment. They rested every three days
He admitted to having small pieces of dark chocolate at times to help with the cravings a little.
‘I had my first piece of cheese in 12 weeks yesterday and it tasted insanely good,’ sid Ross.
Hugo said he found his high-fat diet ‘incredibly difficult’ mentally and neither felt energized nor motivated.
The researchers concluded that, overall, the high-carb diet came out on top in this case.
The debate between whether a high-carb, low fat diet or a high-fat, low carb diet is better has existed for decades.
Due to being identical twins, Ross and Hugo are about 99 percent genetically similar and therefore were expected to give a fair comparison.
During the three months, Ross gained 2.2 pounds of muscle, lost two pounds of fat, lowered his cholesterol and managed to decrease his internal visceral fat from 11.5 percent to 11.1 percent
Data collected by Loughborough researchers also showed that Ross was able to run for longer by the end of the experiment while Hugo struggled
But this is not the first time the British brothers have been involved in such a study.
In 2023, the duo also tested out whether working out for longer is more beneficial than short spurts of exercise.
For 12 weeks, Hugo worked out for 20 minutes and Ross did twice as much, exercising for 40 minutes.
Results showed that their physiques, strength and fitness increased nearly by the same amount.
