It is common knowledge that heavy consumption of animal protein and meat is not good for the health, and this was recently validated by a new study from the University of Eastern Finland and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Men who favored animal protein over plant-based protein in their diet exhibited a greater risk of death in a 20-year follow-up than men who didn’t consume as much animal protein but ate more plant-based/greens for sources of protein.
Specifically, men whose primary sources of protein were animal-based had a 23 percent higher risk of death during the follow-up than men who had the most balanced ratio of animal and plant-based protein in their diet. A high intake of meat in particular seemed to associate with adverse effects: men eating a diet rich in meat, i.e. more than 200 grams per day, had a 23 percent greater risk of death during the follow-up than men whose intake of meat was less than 100 grams per day. The men participating in the study mainly ate red meat.
The study also found that a high overall intake of dietary protein was associated with a greater risk of death in men who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease or cancer at the onset of the study. A similar association was not found in men without these diseases. According to the study authors, these findings highlight the need to investigate the health effects of protein intake especially in people who have an existing chronic medical condition.
Earlier studies have suggested that a high intake of animal protein, and especially the consumption of processed meats such as sausages and cold cuts, is associated with an increased risk of death. However, the big picture relating to the health effects of protein and different protein sources remains unclear.
The study is based on the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD) that analyzed the dietary habits of approximately 2,600 men aged between 42 and 60 at the onset of the study in 1984 to1989. The researchers studied the mortality of this study population in an average follow-up of 20 years. The analyses focused on the associations of dietary protein and protein sources with mortality during the follow-up, and other lifestyle factors and dietary habits were extensively controlled for, including the fact that those eating plenty of plant-based protein followed a healthier diet.
Virtanen, et al. “Dietary proteins and protein sources and risk of death: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2019
