A large prospective study has found a dose-response relationship between an increasing consumption of animal protein and increasing risk of death. The study found an opposite relationship between the risk of death and the consumption of plant protein.
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
