Plant-based meat products, part of many vegan diets, do not provide any widespread cardiometabolic health benefits when compared to diets that include animal meats, according to a recent study. In the study, 82 participants were split into two groups. The first group substituted the protein foods in their diet with six popular PBMAs.
The second group substituted their usual protein foods with animal-based products. Researchers measured multiple cardiometabolic health factors of the participants before and after the trial, including cholesterol levels and the body’s ability to regulate blood pressure and sugar levels. The study concluded that a plant-based meat diet “did not show widespread cardiometabolic health benefits” compared to an omnivorous diet composed of both plant and animal foods over a period of eight weeks.
“As it stands, the PBMA choices currently available in the market do not offer same health advantages as a traditional plant-based diet, generally consisting of whole foods such as whole grains, legumes, and a plethora of fruits and vegetables,” Dr. Sumanto Haldar, a lecturer in nutrition science at Bournemouth University who was part of the study team, said in a statement from the university. Researchers suggested that glycemic improvements in the ABMD group could be linked to higher protein consumption and lower carbohydrate intake in such diets.
Ambulatory blood pressure assessments, which involve monitoring blood pressure readings over a 24-hour.
