Vegans Need Ultra-Processed Proteins for a Healthy Diet, Study Says

Ultra-processed foods, such as meat replacements and protein powders, allow vegans to meet their protein needs, according to recent research.

Nutrition experts have often debated whether a vegan diet can provide enough protein because plant-based foods tend to be less protein-rich than meat, eggs and dairy.

However, it was found that the 774 vegan Brazilians who participated in this study were, on average, eating a healthy amount of protein and all the essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins we need in our diet.

“Our results contradict the stigma that a vegan diet cannot provide the amount of protein and essential amino acids a person needs, and show that a vegan diet can be nutritionally adequate,” said the study author Hamilton Roschel, head of the Functional Physiology and Nutrition Research Group at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, in a statement.

“Ultra-processed food” (UPF) refers to edible substances produced by industrial processes and added chemicals.

The average US diet was about 57 percent UPF in 2018, according to research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutritionbut the current figure is probably higher.

In this study, vegans who ate more ultra-processed protein products – such as vegan alternatives to meat and dairy and protein supplements such as powders and smoothies – were more likely to consume enough protein.

In contrast, vegans who ate mainly unprocessed or minimally processed protein sources – such as lentils, beans, quinoa, nuts and seeds – were less likely to meet their protein needs.

Previous research is unclear as to whether ultra-processed plant-based protein products contribute to a healthy diet.

​Another study, published in August, found that plant-based UPF was associated with a 12 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease — but that study didn’t distinguish between high-protein foods and foods with little protein, and usually most of UPF. protein-poor.

In addition, that study analyzed the diets of people from Britain, whose diets had about half UPF, but the vegan Brazilians in this study only ate 13.2 percent UPF.

“The vegans included in the study ate less ultra-processed products than the [Brazilian] general population,” said Roschel.

Research has consistently shown that more UPF in the diet – which contains too much sugar, starch, fat, salt and chemical additives – is associated with a host of negative health outcomes, such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression. , some types of cancer and premature death.

However, a study published earlier this week found that ultra-processed bread, cereal and plant-based protein products were associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

“Although they tend to be classified as ultra-processed products, TSP [textured soy protein] and protein supplements are not necessarily unhealthy, which cannot be said about ultra-processed products with high levels of fat, sugar, sodium, preservatives and artificial additives, for example,” said Roschel.

“TSP is an important source of protein and essential amino acids for vegans, even though it is classified as ultra-processed.

“Ultra-processed products vary greatly in terms of formulation, and despite the agreement that they should be generally avoided, it is not reasonable to ignore the clear differences between them.”

The participants in this study were vegan men and women in Brazil who kept daily food diaries. The scientists used this information to measure their intake of protein, amino acids and UPF.

It was conducted at the University of São Paulo, Brazil – the same university that coined the term “ultra-processed food” – and funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation.

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Reference

Erwig Leitão, A., Esteves, GP, Caruso Mazzolani, B., Infante Smaira, F., Hindermann Santani, M., Santo André, HC, Gualano, B., Roschel, H. (2024). Protein and Amino Acid Adequacy and Food Consumption by Level of Processing in Vegans in Brazil, JAMA Open Network 7(6): e2418226. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.18226

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