
Key results
- There was increased risk of cardiovascular death with increasing intake of animal protein but it fell with increasing intake of plant protein
- In further analyses, these associations were seen only among participants who smoked, drank heavily, were overweight or obese, and/or were physically inactive.
Study design
A prospective cohort study of 131,342 US health care professionals from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.
Participants regularly updated validated food frequency questionnaires.
The main outcomes were all-cause and cause-specific mortality.
Summary:
Substitution of plant protein for animal protein, especially that from processed red meat, was associated with lower mortality, suggesting the importance of protein source.
Source: JAMA Intern Med 2016