The study asked 36 participants to follow a diet of meat as plant-based alternatives for a total of 16 weeks – eight one way and then swap them for the next eight. Called a ‘cross-study’, eight weeks half of the participants ate the plant-based diet, while the other half of the meat-based diet consisted primarily of red meat, although some participants also ate some chicken. Then they switched. Both groups had two servings of meat as plant-based alternatives per day, registering their meals and checking with the researchers to record their progress.
The team worked with Stanford’s Quantitative Sciences Unit to analyze the data after the 16 weeks. “The QSU helped us draw up a statistical analysis plan, which we published online before the study was completed,” Gardner said. “In this way, our plan was public, and we were responsible for the specific primary and secondary outcomes we had initially said we wanted to … the levels of TMAO, blood cholesterol, blood pressure and weight.”
TMAO measurement is like a crystal ball looking for cardiovascular disease
The main outcome that the team was interested in following, Gardner said, was the level of TMAO that is considered “an emerging risk factor,” for heart disease. Scientists now believe there is a link between high levels of TMAO and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but the link has yet to be proven. Two precursors of TMAO, carnitine, and choline, are found in red meat, so it makes sense that those who eat it have higher levels.
“At this point, we can not be sure that TMAO is a causal risk factor rather than just an association,” Gardner said. However, more doctors are testing patients for TMAO as a crystal ball to see who will develop cardiovascular disease and who will not. Recent studies have shown that high levels of TMAO coexist with inflammation, plaque buildup, and arteries’ brains. High levels of TMAO increase the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke by 60 percent, other studies have shown.
Something strange happened when the two groups switched back. TMAO remained low
In the Stanford study, participants who ate red meat for the first phase of eight weeks had an increase in TMAO, while those who ate plant-based meat during the first eight weeks did not. When the groups switched diets and the group that had meat twice a day switched foods to a plant-based diet, they showed a decrease in TMAO levels. But the strange thing was that while the group that had been eating plant-based foods switched to meat, they did not see any increase in TMAO, suggesting that there may be some lingering protection.
“It was pretty shocking,” Gardner said. “We hypothesized that it does not matter in what order the diet sat. It turns out that there are bacteria that are responsible for the first step of making TMAO in the gut. These species are thought to thrive in people whose diets are red-meat heavy, but perhaps not in those who avoid meat.
“So for the participants who first had the plant-based diet, in which they did not eat meat, we made them basically vegetarians, and as a result, they could accidentally increase their ability to produce TMAO,” he said. This has promising possibilities: Doctors could tell their patients with early heart disease to switch to a plant-based diet based on whole foods to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, but it is too early to know the practical applications of the findings.
Cholesterol levels also benefited from eating more meat and people lost weight
Other health benefits were noted in the participants who ate the plant-based alternatives, including lower cholesterol and weight loss. The LDL levels of so-called “bad” cholesterol dropped an average of 10 points, which although not significant, was true when they first ate the plant-based meat when the animal products first ate. Those on the meatless meat lost an average of 2 pounds, on average, in the eight weeks of enjoying no meat.
“The modest weight loss observed when participants replaced the plant-based meat instead of the red meat is an unexpected finding, as this was not a study with weight loss,” said Anthony Crimarco, Ph.D., the lead author of ‘ e study. ‘I think this indicates the importance of dietary quality. Not all highly processed foods are created equal. ”
Gardner hopes to continue the study of the relationship between health and meat alternatives on plants, particularly when it comes to changes in the microbiome. Gardner said he is also interested in expanding his research into dietary patterns in general. “Maybe we’ll look at a combination of dietary factors on health – maybe alternative meat combined with alternative dairy products,” he said.
The study concluded: “Among generally healthy adults, contrasting plants with animal intake, while all other dietary components are the same, the Plant Products improved several risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including TMAO; There were no adverse effects on risk factors of the plant products. ”
So if you want to go for meat, choose options on plants, but if you just want a bowl with something healthy to eat between the salad, tomato, and vegan cheese, then go to the veggie burger in the frozen way and get yourself bean burger.
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