Going vegan won’t improve your health, an experiment suggests.
Researchers have found that plant-based meat products offer no “clear benefit” for heart health.
People who ate fake sausages, burgers and mince also apparently had worse blood pressure than their meat-consuming counterparts.
Experts today branded the ‘health halo’ around plant-based meat as unwarranted and urged the food industry to ‘re-evaluate the development of the next generation of meat alternatives’.
Co-author of the study, Dr Sumanto Haldar, lecturer in food sciences at Bournemouth University, said: ‘Currently, the production of these plant-based meat alternatives often involves a significant amount of processing.
People who ate fake sausages, burgers and mince also apparently had worse blood pressure than their meat-consuming counterparts. Experts today branded the ‘health halo’ around plant-based meat as unwarranted 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 like Impossible Beef, Omni Foods, the Vegetarian Butcher and Beyond Meat, including Beyond Meat’s ‘Beyond Sausage Original Brat’
In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, academics wrote: ‘Of the classic risk factors for cardiovascular disease, no clear effects have been observed between the animal meat diet and the plant-based meat groups.’ In the photo ‘Impossible Beef’ by Impossible Foods, a plant-based alternative offered to participants
‘The final products may contain high levels of salt, saturated fat and additives to match the taste and texture of real meat products.’
He added: ‘It is clear that there is still much opportunity for improvements in plant-based meat analogues in the market to justify the perception of superior health benefits of these products.
“As it stands, the plant-based meat alternatives currently available do not provide the same health benefits as a traditional plant-based diet, which generally consists of whole foods such as whole grains, legumes, and an abundance of fruits and vegetables.
‘This gives impetus to the food industry to re-evaluate the development of the next generation of meat alternative products so that they not only taste good, but also have improved nutritional properties and are more affordable for the entire population.’
Eighty-two participants at risk for type 2 diabetes were split either carnivorous (42) or plant-based (40) food groups for an eight-week trial period.
Vegan participants traded meat for ultra-processed alternatives from brands such as Impossible Beef, Omni Foods, the Vegetarian Butcher, Beyond Meat and the Vegetarian Butcher.
Minced beef and pork, chicken fillets, hamburger patties, sausages and chicken nuggets accounted for the six meat options delivered to meat eaters’ homes.
Before the study, volunteers underwent blood tests so researchers could assess their cardiometabolic health.
They were equipped with glucose meters to monitor blood sugar levels in real time.
Scientists then performed a second blood test to monitor changes in cholesterol and other important markers of heart health.
Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutritionacademics said: ‘Of the classic risk factors for cardiovascular disease, no clear effects have been observed between the animal meat diet and the plant-based meat groups.’
Dietary cholesterol levels decreased among both groups.
Although levels of trans fats (unsaturated fatty acids) were highest among meat eaters, their sodium intake decreased over the eight weeks.
Instead, the rate rose 42.5 percent among fake meat consumers.
‘Modest improvements’ in blood pressure were also seen in the 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 conflated with those of plant-based meat diets,” researchers said.
Interest in a plant-based diet has increased dramatically in recent years, with vegans citing ethical, environmental or health reasons.
The exact number of vegans in Britain is almost impossible to determine.
But a recent survey found that around 600,000 people follow a plant-based diet, while another 2021 study claimed that almost a third of Brits used alternative milks.
Last year, Meatless Farm, one of Britain’s largest retailers of counterfeit meat, was declared bankrupt.
It sold £11 million worth of plant-based mince, burgers and chicken in 2021, but struggled as demand for meat-free products declined.
And in August it was revealed that vegan brand Beyond Meat saw sales fall by almost a third as it struggled with the drop in demand.
Meanwhile, research The grocer suggested that the range of meat-free goods on offer in supermarkets has shrunk by 10 per cent in the six months to March 2023 as companies cut back on their product lines.