A new study suggests a higher risk of death accompanies consumption of animal protein, compared with eating plant-based protein.
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Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital examined how each protein source influenced long-term health.
In contrast to the benefits seen with plants, each 10 per cent increase in the proportion of calories from animal protein was associated with a two per cent higher risk of death from any cause and an eight per cent increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease during the study period.
On the other hand, each 10 percent increase in the intake of calories from meat was linked to 2 percent higher risk of mortality from any cause and an 8 percent risk of death from cardiovascular disease, scientists found.
Conversely, for every 3 percent increment of plant protein in a diet, risk of death decreased 10 percent and risk of cardiovascular death decreased 12 percent.
Too much meat – particularly red meat – has been shown to be bad for the health, but protein from plants may actually offset the negative effects, a new study has revealed.
The researchers found that associations between protein intake and risk of death were confined to participants who had at least one unhealthy lifestyle habit or ailment, such as smoking, heavy drinking, obesity or physical inactivity.
Professor Tim Key, director of Oxford University’s Cancer Epidemiology Unit, said: “Overall, the study adds to the view that healthy diets should emphasise plant foods, including plant sources of protein, and that intakes of animal source foods – especially processed meat – should be low”.
“When they do choose among sources of animal protein, fish and chicken are probably better choices”, she said.
Processed meats contain loads of sodium and nitrates, which have been linked to heart disease and cancer.
When you take a look at your plate, where is your protein coming from?
For the study, researchers reviewed medical data for 131,342 participants in the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, assessing animal and plant protein intake based on validated food frequency questionnaires.
“People should not only care about how much protein they consume, but also pay attention to what kind of food they consume to gather the protein”, says Andrew T. Chan, MD.
The small shift in diet away from animal protein was significant, with the risk of death going down by 34 percent if processed red meat is replaced, 12 percent for replacing red meat and 19 percent for replacing eggs.
The findings were published online August 1 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
In a ground-breaking study, scientists have discovered that if we replace animal for plant protein in our diets, we can add years to our life expectancy.
Song added: “Future studies should examine the mechanisms underlying the different effects of plant and animal proteins – along with different sources of animal proteins – on overall health”. “They can help refine the current dietary recommendations about protein intake and really get to the point that it is not only the amount but also the food sources of protein that are critical for long-term health”.
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Among the healthiest participants, the association disappeared – possibly because health-conscious people tended to eat more fish and poultry rather than red and processed meat, said the researchers. During those time periods more than 36,000 deaths were documented among study participants – nearly 9,000 from cardiovascular disease, around 13,000 from cancer and about 14,000 from other causes.
