Dietary patterns high in meat compromise both planetary and human health. Meat-alternatives may help facilitate meat reduction, however the nutritional implications of displacing meat with meat-alternatives does not appear to have been evaluated. Here, data from the 9th cycle of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey was used as the basis of models to assess the effect of meat substitution on nutritional intake. We implemented three models; model 1 progressively replaced 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of the current meat intake with a weighted mean of meat-alternatives available in the UK market. Model 2 compared different ingredient categories of meat-alternative; vegetable, mycoprotein, a combination of bean and pea, tofu, nut and soy. Model 3 compared fortified versus unfortified meat-alternatives. The models elicited significant shifts in nutrients. Overall, there were increases in carbohydrate, fibre, sugars and sodium, whereas reductions were found for protein, total and saturated fat, iron and B12. The greatest effects were seen for; vegetable-based (+24.63g/day carbohydrates), mycoprotein-based (−6.12g/day total fat), nut-based (−19.79g/day protein, +10.23g/day fibre; −4.80g/day saturated fat, +7.44g/day sugars), soy-based (+495.98mg/day sodium), and tofu-based (+7.63mg/day iron, −2.02μg/day B12). Our results suggest meat-alternatives can be a healthful replacement for meat if chosen correctly. Consumers should seek out meat-alternatives which are low in sodium and sugar, high in fibre, protein and with high micronutrient density, to avoid compromising nutritional intake if reducing their meat intake. Manufacturers and policy makers should consider fortification of meat-alternatives with nutrients such as iron and B12 and focus on reducing sodium and sugar content.
Purpose The high-meat, low-fibre Western diet is strongly associated with colorectal cancer risk. Mycoprotein, produced from Fusarium venanatum, has been sold as a high-fibre alternative to meat for decades. Hitherto, the effects of mycoprotein in the human bowel have not been well considered. Here, we explored the effects of replacing a high red and processed meat intake with mycoprotein on markers of intestinal genotoxicity and gut health. Methods Mycomeat (clinicaltrials.gov NCT03944421) was an investigator-blind, randomised, crossover dietary intervention trial. Twenty healthy male adults were randomised to consume 240 g day−1 red and processed meat for 2 weeks, with crossover to 2 weeks 240 g day−1 mycoprotein, separated by a 4-week washout period. Primary end points were faecal genotoxicity and genotoxins, while secondary end points comprised changes in gut microbiome composition and activity. Results The meat diet increased faecal genotoxicity and nitroso compound excretion, whereas the weight-matched consumption of mycoprotein decreased faecal genotoxicity and nitroso compounds. In addition, meat intake increased the abundance of Oscillobacter and Alistipes, whereas mycoprotein consumption increased Lactobacilli, Roseburia and Akkermansia, as well as the excretion of short chain fatty acids. Conclusion Replacing red and processed meat with the Fusarium-based meat alternative, mycoprotein, significantly reduces faecal genotoxicity and genotoxin excretion and increases the abundance of microbial genera with putative health benefits in the gut. This work demonstrates that mycoprotein may be a beneficial alternative to meat within the context of gut health and colorectal cancer prevention.
Traditionally, flow mediated dilation (FMD) has been the method of choice when evaluating endothelial function (1). However, assessments of microvascular vasodilation and arterial stiffness are non-invasive methods increasingly used during the past two decades. Both techniques are increasingly being adopted as clinical measures of vascular function. However, the evidence of the impact of dietary and nutritional interventions on these methods has not been systematically reviewed nor meta-analysed. Here, a systematic review and meta-analysis will be reported on the current literature surrounding effects of on nutritional interventions vascular function assessed by pulse wave velocity (PWV), pulse wave analysis (PWA) and laser doppler imaging (LDI). Three major databases including Medline, Scopus and Web of science were thoroughly searched from inception till January 2019. Intervention trials in adults (≥ than 18 years), reporting on the effect on markers of vascular function including microvascular vasodilation and arterial stiffness were identified. Microvascular vasodilation assessed with the use of Laser Doppler Imaging (LDI), which measured the response to cutaneous perfusion of the forearm with acetylcholine and SNP. Meta-analysis was undertaken using review manager software (REVMAN). Random effects models were used to pool data from studies. Effect size was reported as standardised mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals. Heterogeneity levels were assessed by the I 2 test, with values over 50% representing significant heterogeneity. Out of 1914 publications identified, 74 fulfilled inclusion criteria. 63 studies were meta-analysed the effect of intervention trials on arterial stiffness. This systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that nutrition intervention significantly improved arterial stiffness, measured by pulse wave analysis (PWA) by SMD 0.17 (95% CI −0.25 to −0.09, p < 0.001) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) by SMD 0.15 (95% CI −0.23 to −0.07, p < 0.001), among adult subjects >18 years of age. The heterogeneity levels were low at 8% for PWA and 0% for PWV. In relation to microvascular vasodilation, seven studies were identified. Meta-analysis was not carried out. Only two studies showed significant improvement in endothelium independent microcirculation vasodilation and one study reported a significant improvement in endothelium dependent microcirculation vasodilation. However, the other five studies, using polyphenol supplementation, did not observe any significant improvement on these outcomes. In conclusion, this review found that nutritional interventions could improve PWV and PWA; however, the magnitude of these results might be of little clinical relevance. This systematic review also revealed that currently, a limited number of studies using LDI show signs of improvement from nutritional intervention. More research is necessary to evaluate and identify interventions that are effective in improving outcomes of microvascular vasodilation and arterial stiffness.
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