Being vegan won’t improve your health, an experiment suggests.
Researchers have found that plant-based meat products offer no “clear benefits” for heart health.
People who ate fake sausages, burgers, and ground beef also appeared to have worse blood pressure than their meat-eating counterparts.
Experts today called the “health halo” surrounding plant-based meats unjustifiable and urged the food industry to “re-evaluate the development of the next generation of meat alternatives.”
Study co-author Dr Sumanto Haldar, professor of nutritional sciences at Bournemouth University, said: “Currently, producing these plant-based meat alternatives often involves a substantial amount of processing.
People who ate fake sausages, burgers, and ground beef also appeared to have worse blood pressure than their meat-eating counterparts. Experts today called the “health halo” surrounding plant-based meats unjustifiable and urged the food industry to “re-evaluate the development of the next generation of meat alternatives.”
Vegan participants swapped meat for ultra-processed alternatives from brands such as Impossible Beef, Omni Foods, Vegetarian Butcher, Beyond Meat and The Vegetarian Butcher.
Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, academics said: “Among classic cardiovascular disease risk factors, no clear effects were observed between the animal-based meat diet and plant-based meat groups.”
“Final products can be high in salt, saturated fat and additives to match the taste and texture of real meat products.”
He added: “It is clear that there are still many opportunities to improve plant-based meat analogues on the market to justify perceptions of the superior health benefits of these products.”
‘As things stand, the plant-based meat alternatives currently available do not offer the same health benefits as a traditional plant-based diet, which typically consists of whole foods such as whole grains, legumes and plenty of fruits. and vegetables.
“This prompts the food industry to reevaluate the development of the next generation of meat alternative products, so that they not only taste good, but also have better nutritional attributes and are more affordable for the entire population.”
Eighty-two participants at risk for type 2 diabetes were divided into carnivorous (42) or vegetable (40) dietary groups for an eight-week trial.
Vegan participants swapped meat for ultra-processed alternatives from brands such as Impossible Beef, Omni Foods, Vegetarian Butcher, Beyond Meat and The Vegetarian Butcher.
Ground beef and pork, chicken breasts, burgers, sausages and chicken nuggets represented the six meat options delivered to meat eaters’ homes.
Before the study, volunteers underwent blood tests to allow researchers to assess their cardiometabolic health.
They were fitted with glucose monitors to check blood sugar levels in real time.
The scientists then performed a second blood test to monitor changes in cholesterol and other key markers of heart health.
Writing in the American Journal of Clinical NutritionThe academics said: “Among classic cardiovascular disease risk factors, no clear effects were observed between the animal-based meat diet and the plant-based meat groups.”
Dietary cholesterol decreased between both groups.
While levels of trans fats (unsaturated fatty acids) were higher among the meat eaters, their sodium intake decreased over the eight weeks.
Instead, it increased 42.5 percent among fake meat consumers.
“Modest improvements” in blood pressure were also seen in meat eaters, but not in those on a plant-based diet.
“These findings suggest that, despite the well-documented health benefits of traditional plant-based diets, their health benefits should not be confused with plant- and meat-based diets,” the researchers added.
Interest in a plant-based diet has skyrocketed in recent years, with vegans citing ethical, environmental or health reasons.
It is almost impossible to establish the exact number of vegans there are currently in the UK.
But a recent survey suggested that around 600,000 people are believed to follow a plant-based diet, while another in 2021 claimed almost a third of Britons used alternative milks.
Last year, Meatless Farm, one of the UK’s leading fake meat retailers, went into receivership.
It sold £11m worth of plant-based mince, burgers and chicken in 2021, but struggled as demand for meat-free products slowed.
And in August, it was revealed that vegan brand Beyond Meat saw its sales fall by almost a third as it struggled with falling demand.
Meanwhile, the investigation of The shopkeeper suggested that the range of meat-free products offered in supermarkets was reduced by 10 per cent in the six months to March 2023, as companies reduced their product lines.