Diet with Plant-Based Proteins May Prolong Your Life, Study Shows

A 2016 study found that a plant-based protein diet was associated with a lower risk of death, especially among adults “with at least one unhealthy behavior such as smoking, drinking, and being overweight or sedentary.”

Mingyang Song*, M.D., Sc.D., and co-authors conducted the study with up to a 32-year follow-up, using 131,342 participants whose average age was 49. Participants answered food questionnaires as the method of collecting their diet data. The “median protein intake, measured as a percentage of calories, was 14 percent for animal protein and 4 percent for plant protein.” 

The study found the risk of death from all causes, after adjusting for major lifestyle and dietary risk factors:

• 2% higher for every 10% increment of animal protein from total calories
• 10% lower for every 3% increment of total calories and a 12 percent lower risk of cardiovascular death associated with plant-based proteins.

The below chart shows the percentage of calories for replacing animal protein with plant protein to lower the risk of death. For example, if you are on a 2000-calorie diet then you will need to replace 680 calories for red meat with plant protein in order to increase your longevity.

In addition, a 3% substitution of animal protein for plant-based protein led to a lower risk of death from all causes.

Need more meatless-options for your meals or diet?

We manufacture soy-based proteins called Textured Vegetable Proteins (TVP). TVP is similar to tofu, therefore it will absorb all the spices & flavors you are cooking with. Once cooked and hydrated, TVP increases up to 3x in size, which can bring ingredient costs down. For example, if a recipe calls for 1lb of meat, you may use about 1/3-lb of TVP. Its 2-year dry storage shelf life makes it last longer than its meat counterparts. One ounce of TVP is equivalent to an ounce of its meat counterpart.

_{*Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston}