A new study by researchers at Stanford Medicine has found that choosing plant-based meat alternatives over red meat can reduce cardiovascular risk factors.
The study, which was financed by an unrestricted gift from a company that makes plant-based meat alternatives, Beyond Meat, had its products used in order to find out its health benefits compared to red meat. That being said, it's worth noting that that the company was in no way involved in the conducting or designing of the study and was not part of the data analysis either.
A patty made of plants may seem obviously a healthier option than a hamburger. Yet many of the new meat substitutes, like Beyond Meat, have extremely high amounts of sodium and saturated fat and are known highly processed foods, suggesting they are manufactured from extracts and food isolates in contrast with chopped mushrooms or whole beans. These factors were shown to relate to the risk of cardiovascular disease, Dr. Christopher Gardner, medicine professor at Stanford Prevention Research Center said.
"There's been this sort of backlash against these new meat alternatives," Gardner said. "The question is, if you're adding sodium and coconut oil, which is high in saturated fat, and using processed ingredients, is the product still actually healthy?"
Gardner and his staff assembled a group of over 30 people to find out, assigning them to two separate diets, each for eight weeks. One diet required at least two daily portions of meat - the options available were predominantly red meat - and one needed at least two daily portions of plant-based meat.
In brief, the investigators evaluated body levels of a chemical, trimethylamine N-oxide, or TMAO; the risk of cardiovascular disease has been associated with TMAO. Researchers found that levels of TMAO were lower when participants in the study had consumed meat derived from plants.
The researchers found that there was an increase in TMAO among participants who ate the red meat diet during the first eight-week period, whereas those who consumed the plant-based diet first did not. Yet when the groups swapped diets something unusual happened. Those who moved from meat to plant had an expected decline in TMAO levels. Yet those who moved from plant to meat did not see TMAO increase.
A paper detailing the study's findings was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on Aug. 11. Gardner is the paper's senior author. The lead author is postdoctoral scientist Dr. Anthony Crimarco.
