Want to improve cholesterol and blood pressure? Swapping out meat for plant-based alternatives may not provide heart health benefits, study suggests

In new research, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists looked at how diets containing real meat compare to those using plant-based meat alternatives, especially in terms of cardiovascular health and diabetes risk.

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Plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) are designed to mimic the taste and texture of real meat using sustainable ingredients and are becoming increasingly popular worldwide.

The findings showed no significant changes in cholesterol profiles for either diet, but both diets were linked to improvements in some blood sugar markers.

There was no clear advantage of one diet over the other in improving heart health. However, in a smaller group that closely monitored their blood sugar, those eating animal meat managed their blood sugar levels better.

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Blood pressure improvements were also noted in the animal meat group but not in the PBMA group.

This suggests that the benefits often associated with plant-based diets might not directly apply to PBMAs, as they differ nutritionally from whole plant foods and their impact on heart health.

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here