Heart Disease: Meat-based diets VS non-meat-based diets

According to the World Health Organisation, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number 1 cause of death globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year. Around a third of these deaths occur prematurely in people under 70 years old.

Diet can have a major impact on the risk for heart disease, and one long disputed argument has been the effects of eating red meat on increasing cardiovascular risk. In a trial carried out by the American Society for Nutrition in 2019, levels of atherogenic lipids and lipoproteins were monitored following consumption of diets with high red meat content compared with diets with similar amounts of protein derived from either white meat or plant-based sources.

This randomised control trial compared three diets: lean red meat (such as beef and pork), lean white meat (including chicken and turkey) with all visible fat and skin removed and non-meat sources (plant-based proteins including legumes, nuts, grains and soy products). The aim was to measure the impact of the diets on specific blood fats as markers of heart disease including low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) apolipoprotein B (apoB) and ratio of total cholesterol to high density lipoproteins (HDL) and to test if saturated fat levels changed.

The study showed that independent of saturated fat content, LDL cholesterol and apoB were both higher with lean red and lean white meat compared with plant-based proteins. The conclusions were that the findings of the study support the current guidelines in promoting consumption of plant-based foods to reduce CVD risk. The study was however unable to support that there was any advantage in choosing lean white meat over lean red meat. 

Plant-based diets are becoming increasingly popular for a number of reasons, including the positive impact on heart health. Plant-based diets are rich in beans, nuts, seeds, fruit and veg, wholegrains and cereal-based foods such as bread and pasta, can provide all the nutrients needed for good health. Whilst most nutrients are abundant in plant-based diets, there are a few that need close attention if you’re avoiding or minimising your consumption of meat: calcium, omega 3, vitamin D, iodine, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, selenium and protein.

If switching to an entirely plant-based diet is too challenging, then just swapping one or two of your weekly meat-based meals to plant-based foods can make a positive change to your health. If you’re looking for some inspiration on creating nutritional plant-based meals, a number of fantastic meat-free recipes can be found here.

For further information on the benefits of choosing a plant-based diet, you can visit the British Dietetic Association’s website here.

Useful links:

The Vegan Society
www.vegansociety.com

The vegetarian society
www.vegsoc.org