- Researchers report that plant-based meat alternatives are associated with greater improvements in cardiovascular risk factors than real meat..
- They say plant-based meat alternatives improve cholesterol levels and are not linked to high blood pressure, despite the sodium content of some versions..
- While plant-based meat alternatives are often highly processed, experts say they tend to have less saturated fat and more fiber than real meat.
Plant-based meat alternatives improve cardiovascular risk factors compared to animal-based meat.
it is, review The study published today Canadian Journal of Cardiology While the nutritional profiles of plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) vary widely, they tend to have a heart-healthy nutritional profile compared to real meat.
“Commercially available PBMAs are nutritionally diverse but generally have a cardioprotective nutritional profile compared to meat, with less saturated fatty acids and more dietary fiber per serving. Currently available randomized clinical trials evaluating PBMAs are promising and suggest that replacing meat with PBMAs may improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, including reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C),” the study authors wrote.
“Despite being classified as an ultra-processed food and the high sodium content in many products, PBMA does not appear to have any adverse effects on other CVD risk factors, such as blood pressure,” the researchers added. “These improvements in CVD risk factors may translate into a reduced risk of developing CVD, but high-quality long-term studies evaluating CVD outcomes are needed.”
Plant-based meat alternatives are typically highly processed foods made from plant-based ingredients that can be used to replace meat in your diet.
The study authors reviewed research on plant-based meat alternatives from 1970 to 2023 to assess what is known about the nutritional profile of these foods and their impact on cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
The researchers reported that several studies have shown that plant-based meat alternatives may improve cardiovascular risk factors such as cholesterol levels, and they also found that despite the high sodium content of some plant-based meat alternatives, these foods are not associated with elevated blood pressure.
“For those looking to reduce their meat intake, especially red meat, substituting PBMA could be a heart-healthy choice. For those who are already limiting their meat intake, PBMA can be an excellent source of protein to include in a healthy diet, but if consumed regularly, it is best to choose versions low in saturated fat and sodium.” Dr. Ehud Ull“The results suggest that the effects of serotonin in the brain are more pronounced in older adults than in older adults,” said lead study author David L. Gregg, a professor in the department of endocrinology and metabolism at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, in a press statement.
Christopher GardnerHe holds a PhD and is chairman of the American Heart Association’s Committee on Nutrition, as well as a professor of medicine and nutrition researcher at Stanford University in California.
He said Today’s Medical News Plant-based meat alternatives have many attributes that could make them a healthier option compared to meat.
“PBMA has less saturated fat, more unsaturated fat and more dietary fiber than animal meats, all of which suggests it may be ‘healthier’ than animal meats in terms of cardiometabolic risk factors,” said Gardner, who was not involved in the study.
“Meat and animal foods contain carnitine and choline, which are the raw materials for TMAO, but PBMA does not. TMAO has emerged as a potentially important new risk factor for heart disease, which may be another reason for the plausible benefits of PBMA,” he added.
Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a substance produced during the digestion of red meat that may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
In 2020, Gardner
“Beyond Meat lowered LDL cholesterol, TMAO and body weight compared to animal meat,” he said.
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Dana HannesThe senior nutritionist supervisor at RR-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, PhD, says it’s unexpected that an ultra-processed, plant-based meat substitute could have heart benefits.
“We’ve known for some time that plant-based foods are associated with improved risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but it’s a bit surprising to see that highly processed foods have the same benefit – although it’s a pleasant surprise,” said Hannes, who was not involved in the study. Today’s medical news.
“I wouldn’t call highly processed plant-based meat alternatives ‘healthy,’ but I would say they are healthier than meat, eggs, and animal products,” Hannes says. “What I always tell people is that highly processed foods should be limited in your diet because when they are highly processed, the healthy fiber, micronutrients, and vitamins are often removed from the original food (and sometimes added back through fortification or enrichment after the fact). Also, highly processed foods are digested and absorbed more quickly than plant-based foods. That being said, just like we would say to limit meat to a low level in your diet, I would also recommend limiting plant-based meat alternatives to a low level in your diet.”
Accompanying editorial Published in Canadian Journal of Cardiology, Dr. David SpenceThe plant-based meat alternatives could be beneficial for people who need to reduce their meat and egg intake, said Dr. Schneider, professor emeritus of neurology and clinical pharmacology at Western University and director of the Centre for Stroke Prevention and Atherosclerosis Research at Ontario’s Roberts Research Institute.
“Because individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease should limit meat intake and avoid egg yolk, plant-based meat and egg substitutes may be beneficial for patients looking to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease,” Spence wrote.
Gardner argues that while PBMA may be highly processed or ultra-processed, this does not diminish its potential benefits when used as a meat replacement.
“For decades, public health experts have advised Americans to eat less meat. Americans have always eaten, and will continue to eat, more animal meat than most countries in the world, and public health efforts to improve the situation have had little success. The new generation of PBMA takes the approach of not just being a replacement, but a replacement that looks, smells and tastes as similar to animal meat as possible, in the hope that people will be more likely to choose it over animal meat,” Gardner said.
“Healthy or unhealthy is a false dichotomy. Good and bad are the same, as is unprocessed or ultra-processed,” he added. “Some foods that are characterized as meeting the criteria for ‘ultra-processed’ are more nutritious than other foods. Some PBMAs are more nutritious than many other ultra-processed foods. I believe that demonizing PBMAs as ultra-processed foods inappropriately exploits the intent of warning people against ultra-processed foods if it leads people to consume animal flesh instead of PBMAs.”