Are plant-based meat substitutes really better?

 

Are plant-based meat substitutes really better than meat options?

As diets rich in plant-based foods have been found beneficial for heart and metabolic health, plant-based meat analogues, which are designed to mimic the taste and texture of real meat, are becoming increasingly popular worldwide.

In a research, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists compared the effects of diets based on plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) and traditional animal-based meats (ABMs), especially in terms of cardiovascular health and diabetes risk.

The findings showed no clear advantage of one diet over the other in improving heart health. And it seems that those eating animal meat managed their blood sugar levels better while blood pressure improvements were also noted in the animal meat group but not in the PBMA group.

This suggests that the benefits often associated with plant-based diets might not directly apply to PBMAs.

That is likely because plant-based meat alternatives are often heavily processed foods, which are high in sodium and saturated fats, and so would not likely improve cardiometabolic health and may instead increase risk. Their frequent consumption, in fact, is associated with negative health outcomes.

For instance, in a 2019 cohort study that followed 105,159 adults over a 5-year period, the researchers observed that even a 10% increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.

This small increase in ultra-processed foods is also associated with a higher risk of developing some cancers, type 2 diabetes and increased exposure to harmful chemicals from food packages.

In addition, calorie intake is reportedly higher in plant-based diets that are rich in ultra-processed foods, which may lead to weight gain and a greater potential for developing obesity.

To compound the negative health risks associated with diets rich in ultra-processed foods, vegetarian and vegan diets often exclude some food groups, making nutrient deficiencies more common - they may contain lower levels of some nutrients, such as protein, vitamin B12, or zinc, than a regular meat product. And proteins from PBMAs might not be as easily absorbed as those from animal meats, affecting insulin and gut hormone responses differently.

The better blood sugar control seen in the animal meat group might be due to their lower carb and higher protein intake.

This suggests that the health advantages typically associated with plant-based diets should not be assumed to apply to PBMAs, given their different nutritional profiles and effects on heart and metabolic health.