Get extra points for plants — Harvard Gazette

Increasing the proportion of plant-based protein in your diet may reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease, finds a new study led by researchers at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. It turned out that.

Researchers say this reduction in risk is likely to come from substituting red and processed meats. Researchers also observed that eating more plant-based protein combined with an increase in overall protein intake had the greatest heart health benefits.

Although global dietary guidelines recommend increasing intake of plant protein, the ideal ratio of plant protein to animal protein remains unclear. This study is the first to examine this ratio and how it affects health, particularly heart health.

Risk reduction may be facilitated by replacing red and processed meat with some plant-based protein sources, especially nuts and legumes.

“The average American consumes a 1:3 ratio of plant protein to animal protein. Our findings show that a ratio of at least 1:2 is much more effective at preventing cardiovascular disease. “For the prevention of coronary heart disease, a ratio of at least 1:1.3 should be obtained from plants,” says the first author. andrea glenVisiting Scientist Department of Nutrition. Glenn worked on this research as a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Chan School and is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at New York University's Steinhardt College.

of study was published Dec. 2 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers used 30 years of data on the diet, lifestyle, and heart health of nearly 203,000 men and women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study I and II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Participants reported their dietary intake every four years. The researchers calculated each participant's total protein intake, measured in grams per day, as well as their specific intake of animal and vegetable protein. During the study period, 16,118 cases of cardiovascular disease were recorded, including more than 10,000 cases of coronary heart disease and more than 6,000 cases of stroke.

After adjusting for participants' health history, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, this study found that a higher ratio of plant to animal protein was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease. It turned out that. Compared to participants who ate the lowest ratio of plant to animal protein (~1:4.2), participants who ate the highest protein (~1:1.3) had a 19% lower risk of cardiovascular disease; 27% lower risk of coronary heart disease. These risk reductions were even higher among participants who ate more protein overall. People who consume the most protein (21% of their energy comes from protein) and adhere to a higher plant to animal protein ratio have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who consume more protein. were found to have a 28% lower risk of coronary heart disease and a 36% lower risk of coronary heart disease. It has the least amount of protein (16 percent of energy). No significant association was found between stroke risk and its proportion. However, replacing red and processed meat in the diet with some plant sources, such as nuts, has been shown to reduce the risk of stroke.

The researchers also investigated whether there is a point at which consuming more plant protein no longer provides additional benefits, or may even have negative effects. They found that the risk reduction for cardiovascular disease begins to plateau around a 1:2 ratio, but that the risk of coronary heart disease continues to decrease as the ratio of plant protein to animal protein increases. .

Researchers found that replacing red and processed meat with plant-based protein sources, particularly nuts and legumes, improved cardiometabolic risk factors such as blood lipids, blood pressure, and inflammatory biomarkers. . Part of the reason is that plant proteins often contain high amounts of fiber, antioxidant vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats.

“Most of us need to start shifting our diets toward plant-based proteins,” said the lead author. frank fuFrederick J. Steer is Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at the Harvard Chan School. “You can do this by eating less meat, especially red and processed meat, and more legumes and nuts. Such a dietary pattern is not only beneficial for human health, but also for the health of the planet. ”

The researchers noted that the ratios they identified are estimates, and further research is needed to determine the optimal balance of vegetable and animal protein. Additionally, further research is needed to determine how protein intake affects stroke risk.

Also includes other authors by Harvard Chan Wang Feng Lei, Anne-Julie Tessier, joan manson, Eric Lim, Ken Mukamaru, Chee Seungand walter willett.

The Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Tracking Study was supported by National Institutes of Health grants UM1 CA186107, R01 CA49449, R01 HL034594, U01 HL145386, R01 HL088521, U01 CA176726, R01 CA49449, U01 CA167552, R01 Supported by HL60712, R01 HL35464.