Plant-based meat alternatives, despite being ultra-processed, may be healthier for the heart than meat, a new report suggests.
Angela Weiss | AFP | fake images
Plant-based meat alternatives, despite being ultra-processed, may be healthier for the heart than meat, a new report suggests.
A review of previous studies found that heart disease risk factors, including total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and body weight, improved when various animal-based meats were replaced with a plant-based substitute, according to the published paper. Wednesday in the Canadian Journal. of Cardiology.
“Plant-based meat is a healthy alternative that is clearly associated with a reduction in cardiovascular risk factors,” said the study's lead author, Dr. Ehud Ur, a professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
The new research, which reviewed studies published between 1970 and 2023, also found wide nutritional variation in meat substitutes, including in the amount of sodium and saturated fat they contained.
One of the clinical trials cited by the researchers found that when participants consumed plant-based alternatives they experienced a 13% reduction in total cholesterol, a 9% reduction in LDL cholesterol, a 53% reduction in triglycerides, and a 11% increase in HDL cholesterol. .
Ur and his colleagues focused on two brands of burgers: one older generation and a newer one with a more beef-like flavor. The older brand burger had 6% of the daily recommended amount of saturated fat, compared to 30% in the newer company's burger. Similarly, the older brand had 0% cholesterol, compared to 27% of the RDA for the newer brand.
The new report adds another layer to the question of how veggie burgers affect health.
Most meat substitutes are highly processed foods. Ultra-processed foods tend to be low in fiber and loaded with salt, sugar and additives, and have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and premature death.
A study published this month in Lancet Regional Health—Europe suggested that eating ultra-processed plant-based foods, including meat substitutes, could increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. However, the study did not directly compare meat alternatives to real meat.
Ur responded that not all ultra-processed foods are unhealthy and that the term should not be the “kiss of death” for a food.
“In and of itself, processing is not necessarily a bad thing,” Ur said. “It's true that these plant-based meats are highly processed, but not in the sense that they have a lot of saturated fat or certain carbohydrates that are associated with adverse outcomes.” “.
What's needed is a randomized trial that examines heart attacks and strokes in people who eat meat substitutes compared to regular meat eaters, Ur said.
“Obviously, it might be difficult to do a double-blind trial because people might know if they were eating meat or an alternative,” he said. “But some of the newer plant-based meats taste very close to real meat.”
Dr. Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said that while some plant-based alternatives may be better for the heart than meat, “in general, the best option would be to consume whole foods.” food.”
According to Willett, the healthiest whole foods are a combination of:
- Walnuts
- Seeds
- Soy foods and other legumes.
- whole grains
- Vegetables
- fruit
- Liquid vegetable oils, such as olive oil.
A vegetarian or Pescatarian diet “would include a modest amount of dairy products, eggs and fish about twice a week,” Willett said.
But not everyone is prepared for that. “So I think there is room for foods that could be called ultra-processed,” she said.
He pointed to a study published in 2020 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, in which participants consumed meat for eight weeks and a plant-based meat alternative for eight weeks.
When participants consumed the meat alternative, “cholesterol and blood pressure were reduced by about 10 percent, which is pretty substantial,” Willett said. “Just because something may fall under the definition of ultra-processed doesn't mean it's bad.”
People should be aware of the variation in plant-based meat alternatives, said Marie-Pierre St-Onge, associate professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. The amount of saturated fat in a meat alternative depends on the brand, for example.
“Consumers need to be more knowledgeable and educated about the Nutrition Facts Panel,” St-Onge said. “If a plant-based burger contains 35% to 40% of your daily allowance of sodium, it's not for you if you have high blood pressure.”
Dr. Anu Lala, director of heart failure research at Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York, said longer follow-up studies are needed to determine whether plant-based meat alternatives are healthier.
“There needs to be a concerted effort, as there has been with the Mediterranean diet, to understand plant-based dietary programs and their long-term effects,” Lala said.
For a healthier option, he suggested checking the label of a meat alternative to see:
- sodium content
- Amount of saturated fat
- Protein source, such as peas or soy.
- Gluten, for people with sensitivity
- Artificial sweeteners
People are desperate for easy solutions and trying to identify specific dietary interventions, but a single food doesn't make the overall diet healthier, Lala said.
“We need to take a holistic approach that incorporates a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and includes movement,” she said.
