Scientists say replacing meat with plant protein lowers heart disease risk

New research has linked higher dietary plant-to-animal protein ratios to reduced cardiovascular and coronary artery disease risks. The study notes lower risk, especially when replacing red and processed meat with dense plant-based protein sources like nuts and legumes. 

The researchers saw a gap in dietary guidelines that recommend substituting animal protein with plant protein, however, no ideal ratio recommendation was found to prevent diseases.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study found that a “higher protein density alongside higher plant-to-animal protein ratios may be important for cardiovascular disease risk reduction,” although there was no statistically significant association with stroke risks. 

The study suggests replacing animal protein sources with plant protein sources to reach a plant-to-animal ratio of at least 1:2. 

It also highlights the importance of nutrient adequacy and energy intake when replacing animal protein sources. The researchers suggest that legumes and nuts are the most beneficial choices for cardiovascular disease risk reduction, highlighting the need for dietary and clinical practice guidelines.

Finding ideal ratio

According to research, cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in the US, where most protein comes from animal sources, like in many developed countries. In the US, the plant-to-animal protein ratio is approximately 1:3.

The study seeks to help refine public health guidance on protein sources, finding an ideal ratio by studying three large prospective cohort studies in the US.

The researchers explain that to study cardiovascular disease risk associations with increased protein intake, they looked at the combined effects of the plant-to-animal protein ratio and protein density, which is the proportion of total calories derived from protein. This is because it was previously thought that high-protein diets increased the risk of cardiovascular disease. 

The study suggests replacing animal protein sources with plant protein sources at a ratio of at least 1:2.They add: “As two diets with the same plant-to-animal protein ratio can include different sources of protein, we used statistical substitution models to estimate the risk of cardiovascular disease when the top animal protein sources in the diet were replaced with plant protein sources.”

Ratio results

The study revealed a higher plant-to-animal protein ratio (0.76 to 0.24) was associated with a 19% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 27% lower risk of coronary artery disease but not with stroke or stroke subtypes. The study did not find a statistically significant association between the plant-to-animal protein ratio and stroke risk.

The authors say that the “optimal ratio may be different for coronary artery disease and stroke.”

Animal proteins from red and processed meat were replaced with several plant protein sources, particularly nuts.

“Risk reductions for cardiovascular disease start to plateau around 0.5 [plant-to-animal protein ratio], while for coronary artery disease, the risk continues to decrease at high ratios,” details the paper.

The study found that higher ratios combined with higher protein density (20.8%) presented the greatest cardiovascular benefits, highlighting the importance of more protein consumption when increasing plant protein intake.

The authors suggest that other mechanisms may contribute to lower cardiovascular disease risk, including the amino acid profiles of plant and animal proteins, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and diabetes incidence.

According to a nationwide survey, only 12% of US consumers avoid red meat, making them among the world’s biggest consumers of this food group. Abstainers are mostly female, educated, older and Democrat.

In industry developments, Beneo spoke to us about boosting faba bean protein concentrate production for use in plant-based meat products.