According to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Purdue University, Diets that replaced red meat with healthy plant proteins led to decreases in risk factors for cardiovascular disease(CVD).
"Substituting red meat with high-quality protein sources lead to more favorable changes in cardiovascular risk factors" said Marta Guasch-Ferré, research scientist in the Department of Nutrition and lead author of the study
Lower levels of both total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol
The study included data from 36 randomized controlled trials involving 1,803 participants. The researchers compared people who ate diets with red meat with people who ate more of other types of foods (i.e. chicken, fish, carbohydrates, or plant proteins such as legumes, soy, or nuts), looking at blood concentrations of cholesterol triglycerides, lipoproteins, and blood pressure—all risk factors for CVD.
From the study, they found that diets higher in red meat did lead to higher triglyceride concentrations than the other diets. Also found that when diets with red meat were compared with all other types of diets combined, there were no significant differences in total cholesterol, lipoproteins, or blood pressure. However, the study found that diets higher in high-quality plant protein sources such as legumes, soy, and nuts resulted in lower levels of both total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol compared to diets with red meat.
"If you replace burgers with cookies or fries, you don’t get healthier. But if you replace red meat with healthy plant protein sources, like nuts and beans, you get a health benefit.” said Meir Stampfer, professor of epidemiology and nutrition and senior author of the study
The authors recommended adherence to healthy vegetarian and Mediterranean-style diets, both for their health benefits and to promote environmental sustainability.
Adapted from: Havard Press Release