Replacing Red Meat With Plant Protein Lowers Risk for Heart Disease

Replacing red meat with plant-based protein sources lowers your risk for heart disease, according to a meta-analysis published in Circulation. Researchers reviewed studies that compared diets that included red meat with eating habits that replaced red meat with foods such as legumes and tracked cardiovascular disease risk factors. Plant-based protein sources in place of red meat produced improvements in blood lipids. Replacing red meat with fish did not reduce the risk for heart disease. The authors noted that reduced intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol and increased intakes of fiber and antioxidants found in plants may be possible mechanisms for the improvements.