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Unknown impacts of plant-based meat alternatives on long-term health

Nature Food volume 3, pages 90–91 (2022)Cite this article

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To the Editor — The term ‘vegetarian’ was coined in Ramsgate, UK, in 1847 with the formation of the Vegetarian Society. The consumption of plant-based diets (PBDs) has, of course, a much longer history. Since the sixth century bc, it is believed that the Jains and Hindus of India predominantly consumed PBDs. In recent years, PBDs have gained mainstream traction as a promising dietary pattern for health1. Characteristically, PBDs can be defined as a balanced consumption of grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables, and much of their nutritional advantages are attributed to an array of bioactive constituents from these foods. Moreover, a dietary shift from animal-based to plant-based foods is also an established approach to promote environmental sustainability and future food security2. On multiple fronts — human and planetary — PBDs have superiority over diets rich in animal-based foods.

Yet, despite the well-documented benefits of consuming PBDs for health, their adoption and adherence may be a challenge, especially among habitual omnivores who have an intrinsic desire for animal-based foods3. Plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) that closely resemble the organoleptic attributes of animal meats have been triggered primarily by concerns relating to planetary health4. While PBMAs offer a promising approach to ease the transition from omnivorous diets to PBDs, a critical evaluation on the health implications of featuring PBMAs in this dietary transition merits investigation. This is especially important for today’s consumer, given the potential for a ‘halo effect’ on health emanating from either the proposed sustainability credentials of PBMAs or the established health benefits of PBDs.

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Fig. 1: Ingredients used in PBMAs.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge support from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Biomedical Research Council and Wilmar International Limited.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC), Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore

    Darel Wee Kiat Toh, Akila SRV & Christiani Jeyakumar Henry

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Christiani Jeyakumar Henry

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  1. Darel Wee Kiat Toh
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  2. Akila SRV
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  3. Christiani Jeyakumar Henry
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Correspondence to Christiani Jeyakumar Henry.

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Toh, D.W.K., SRV, A. & Henry, C.J. Unknown impacts of plant-based meat alternatives on long-term health. Nat Food 3, 90–91 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-022-00463-5

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