Can going vegan make you a better runner? New study reveals surprising advantages

When Beyoncé dropped her Homecoming diet plan a few years back, my group chat lit up with questions about whether ditching animal products could level‑up our playlists and our pace times. A fresh scholarly review has finally sprinted onto the track with an answer—and it’s more exciting than the latest NewJeans choreo drop.

The paper, which sifted through 14 peer‑reviewed trials published between 1999 and 2021, asks a deceptively simple question: Does eating plant‑exclusive fuel translate to faster, longer, or easier miles? Spoiler alert—while science rarely serves up a clean photo‑finish, the data lean toward “yes, vegans may enjoy a built‑in edge on endurance.”

Carb‑rich fuel tanks (with a side of fiber)

First up: macronutrients. On a standardized 2,000‑calorie plate, vegans average 309 g of carbohydrates—16 percent more than omnivores. More carbs means fatter muscle‑glycogen tanks, a key determinant of performance once you’re cruising above 60 percent of your VO₂ max.

Pair that with the study’s finding that vegans log 46.7 g of fiber—about 50 percent higher than meat‑eaters—and you get a gut microbiome that churns out short‑chain fatty acids. Those SCFAs ignite AMPK signaling (cellular code for “boost mitochondrial biogenesis”), essentially upgrading muscle engines for long‑haul output. Imagine swapping a clunky tour bus for a whisper‑quiet EV; same body, cleaner fuel.

Cardio hardware upgrades

Carbo‑loading isn’t the only card in the vegan deck. Plant‑forward menus are naturally low in saturated fat and high in antioxidants, a combo linked to better endothelial function (read: springier, less clogged blood vessels) and subtler changes in heart geometry—thinner walls, roomier chambers, and smoother diastolic filling. Think of your left ventricle getting a studio‑to‑loft renovation, pumping more crimson O₂ to working quads with less effort.

Real‑world race data: VO₂ max takes the spotlight

Lab‑white statistics don’t always translate to asphalt reality, so the reviewers spotlighted nine endurance‑focused investigations:

• In three cross‑sectional studies of recreational and club runners, vegans or vegetarians posted significantly higher relative VO₂ max scores than omnivores. Body weight was lower, but absolute oxygen uptake (raw L/min) held steady, suggesting efficiency rather than raw lung capacity drove the bump.

• A 12‑week intervention on type‑2‑diabetes participants found that those assigned a calorie‑matched vegetarian diet plus thrice‑weekly aerobic sessions improved VO₂ max by 12 percent, while a conventional omnivorous group plateaued.

• Where differences didn’t reach significance, performance was never worse on plants—consistent with the review’s big headline: no study found a detrimental endurance effect from vegan eating.

Translation: You’re unlikely to bonk because you ditched cheese; you might even pick up an extra gear.

Micronutrient pit stops

Of course, every runner knows one loose shoelace can derail a half‑marathon. A few nutrients demand attention:

• Iron – Plant diets provide comparable milligrams but only 2–20 percent of non‑heme iron gets absorbed (meat‑based heme clocks 15–35 percent). Pair lentils with vitamin‑C‑rich bell pepper and keep tabs on ferritin if you log serious mileage.

• Vitamin D – Vegans averaged 6.3 µg/day versus omnivores’ 10.6 µg, below the 15 µg RDA for everyone. Low D can hamper mitochondrial phosphate kinetics, so queue up fortified soy milk or a supplement—especially if you log treadmill miles before sunrise.

• Creatine – Endurance events rely less on phosphagens than the weight room does, but omnivores still carry ~27–50 percent higher intramuscular creatine. A 1–2 g daily vegan creatine monohydrate scoop can plug the gap without involving cows.

Weight, not power, is the secret sauce

Why does relative VO₂ max often shine brighter than the absolute number in vegan athletes? The review points to lower average body mass among plant eaters. When you drop a few kilos of ballast—courtesy of lower energy‑density foods and higher fiber—you effectively raise your oxygen‑per‑kilogram ceiling without touching lung volume. It’s the difference between lugging a DSLR or a mirrorless compact on a photo hike; same megapixels, but your shoulders thank you.

Gut feelings are real (and science‑backed)

Remember those SCFAs brewed by your microbiome? Beyond cellular energy cues, they also tighten intestinal‑barrier integrity and throttle inflammatory pathways such as NF‑κB and FOXO, both of which can otherwise nibble away at muscle tissue during heavy training blocks. More fiber means friendlier bugs, fewer leaky‑gut toxins, and smoother recovery sessions—the triad every marathon plan covets.

Strength caveats—because life isn’t one long tempo run

The same review freely admits plant‑exclusive menus may pose challenges for pure strength pursuits. Lower creatine stores, fewer leucine‑dense proteins, and modest vitamin D intakes could hinder maximal muscle protein synthesis if you don’t program around them. Eight strength‑oriented trials reveal that vegans can gain equally given smart resistance training and adequate protein (≈1.6 g/kg/day), but the margin for error is slimmer.

For runners, though, that trade‑off might be acceptable; you want power‑to‑weight, not bulk‑for‑bulk’s‑sake. Still, highlight “B‑12‑fortified tofu scramble” on your shopping list and keep handheld weights in the cross‑training rotation.

The headline takeaway

Stacking up all 14 studies, the authors conclude: “Current research has failed to demonstrate consistent differences of performance between diets but shows a trend toward improved endurance after vegetarian and vegan diets.” In plainer English: swapping steak for seitan won’t automatically qualify you for Boston, yet it very likely tilts the playing field—lighter frame, cleaner arteries, more robust metabolic engines—all in your favor.

Jordan’s snackable action plan

1. Front‑load complex carbs – Rolled‑oat overnight jars, mung‑bean noodles, or my addictive miso‑maple sweet‑potato bites keep glycogen primed.

2. Color‑code your plate – Dark greens for iron, bright citrus for vitamin C absorption, sunlit mushrooms or D3 algae caps for vitamin D.

3. Supplement smart – 3 g creatine and 2,000 IU vegan D3 fit seamlessly between your morning pour‑over and the latest Phoebe Bridgers B‑side.

4. Gut love is self‑love – Fermented kimchi, kombucha, and tempeh not only taste like indie‑rock riffs in my mouth; they incubate SCFA‑producing microbiota for tomorrow’s long run.

Final lap

Like a perfectly sequenced playlist, the advantages of a vegan diet for runners build layer by layer—extra carbohydrates, anti‑inflammatory polyphenols, microbiome magic, and subtle cardiovascular tweaks that add up over time. The science is still evolving, but the direction of travel is unmistakable: plants won’t slow you down, and they just might help you float through that last mile with the same effortlessness I feel when my fermentation experiments finally fizz just right.

So the next time someone tells you real runners need chicken breast, lace up, queue your favorite synth‑pop anthem, bite into a peanut‑butter stuffed Medjool date, and show them how fast cruelty‑free fuel can fly.