It may also help dispel the common misconception that plant-based diets can’t provide enough protein for optimal health.
- New research has investigated whether a vegan diet with protein sourced from non-animal products could support muscle growth and repair as effectively as a diet that includes animal protein during strength training.
- The study involved young and healthy adults split into two groups, one consuming a high-protein animal-based diet and the other a high-protein non-animal-based diet.
- Results showed that both groups gained a similar amount of muscle mass and strength, indicating that a high-protein, non-animal-derived diet can be as effective as a diet that consists mainly of animal-derived protein sources, when paired with resistance training.
New research, published in the Journal of Nutrition, found that fungi-derived mycoprotein (Quorn) is just as effective at supporting muscle building during resistance training as animal protein.
The study included two parts. In the first part of the study, 16 young and healthy adults (eight men and eight women) were split into two groups.
Both groups did leg exercises every day, but one group (named OMNI1) ate a diet with high protein from animal sources while the other group (VEG1) ate a diet with high protein from non-animal sources.
The researchers measured how much muscle protein was made during exercise and at rest.
In the second part of the study, 22 young and healthy adults (11 men and 11 women) did a 10-week leg exercise program five days a week.
Some of them ate a high-protein diet from animal sources (OMNI2) and others ate a high-protein diet from non-animal sources (VEG2).
The research team measured the size of leg muscles, overall body muscle, muscle strength, and function before and after the program and at two and five weeks into it.
During the study, researchers found that exercising the legs increased the rate of muscle protein production by about 12% compared to when the legs were at rest.
Similar rates of muscle protein productionhttps://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/can-vegan-protein-support-muscle-building-as-effectively-as-animal-protein#Similar-rates-of-muscle-protein-production
Both groups gained a similar amount of muscle mass and muscle fiber size, as well as increased muscle strength in various muscle groups, despite having different protein sources in their diets.
Medical News Today spoke to three independent experts, who were not involved in this research, to hear their perspectives on the study.
Stephanie Wells, a registered dietitian, said, “this paper adds to the growing body of evidence for the ability of some plant-based proteins to support muscle building as effectively as animal proteins like whey.”
However, Wells noted that the study did have some limitations, namely the lack of a control group and the small number of participants.
“Because of these limitations, we can’t know for sure whether or not similar results would be seen for the general population,” Wells noted.
“Since the study was in young adults, we also can’t be sure whether similar results would be seen for other groups like older adults. Race wasn’t reported, so we can’t make conclusions about whether results might vary depending on racial or ethnic background,” she added.Quote“This study adds to the growing amount of evidence for the effectiveness of plant-based protein for building muscle, although more research with high-quality study designs is needed. It may be encouraging for people who want to eat [fewer] animal products or transition to a plant-based diet for reasons of personal health, the environment, or animal welfare. It may also help dispel the common misconception that plant-based diets can’t provide enough protein for optimal health.”
— Stephanie Wells
Did Neolithic people eat mushrooms?https://farwestfungi.com/blogs/far-west-news/a-cultural-history-of-fungi
Neolithic Man used mushrooms for food, medicine, and as tinder for starting the fires that made all of human evolution possible. Mushrooms appear in Egyptian hieroglyphics, in scenes depicting them as gifts from the gods, sent to earth on lightning bolts, and their use was forbidden to all but the pharaohs.
Did ancient Romans eat mushrooms?https://carolashby.com/mushrooms-or-morels/
Mushrooms were a favorite food of both Greeks and Romans, despite the danger of eating the wrong kind. When Agrippina decided to kill her husband Claudius to make her son Nero the new Emperor, she laced a particularly delicious type of morel with poison. Claudius ate them for supper, and the regime change was assured.
What you eat can reprogram your genes – an expert explains the emerging science of nutrigenomics
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People typically think of food as calories, energy and sustenance. However, the latest evidence suggests that food also “talks” to our genome, which is the genetic blueprint that directs the way the body functions down to the cellular level.
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In humans and mice, byproducts of the amino acid methionine, which are abundant in meat and fish, are known to influence genetic dials that are important for cell growth and division.
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Interestingly, the ability of nutrients to alter the flow of genetic information can span across generations. Studies show that in humans and animals, the diet of grandparents influences the activity of genetic switches and the disease risk and mortality of grandchildren.
The Fatty Acid Desaturase (FADS1) gene is associated with the synthesis of FADS1 protein, an enzyme secreted in the liver and shown to be associated with the conversion of shorter chain fatty acids to longer length active forms. The FADS1 protein is found to be associated with the conversion of omega 3 and omega 6 from plant based fats to functional and longer forms like EPA, DHA and arachidonic acid (AA). Animal meat, fish and eggs are already rich in EPA, DHA and arachidonic acid, which reduces the need for the FADS1 protein. People with the C variant of the gene are found to be associated with reduced activity of the protein.
Individuals who do not produce sufficient amount of fatty acids need to consume more animal foods to meet requirements, while individuals who can convert plant-based oils to EPA, DHA and arachidonic acid would benefit from consuming a diet that is rich in vegetable oils and lower in omega-6-rich animal meats.
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Ancestry:
The FADS1 single nucleotide polymorphism that we include is found to have a significant association with the fatty acid composition in our blood. The ancestral allele C (rs174547) was predominant among the hunter gatherers and, with the start of farming, the allele T became the predominant allele.
Cornell researchers describe a genetic variation that has evolved in populations that have historically favored vegetarian diets, such as in India, Africa and parts of East Asia.
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The vegetarian allele evolved in populations that have eaten a plant-based diet over hundreds of generations. The adaptation allows these people to efficiently process omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and convert them into compounds essential for early brain development and controlling inflammation. In populations that live on plant-based diets, this genetic variation provided an advantage and was positively selected in those groups.
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Analysis using data from the 1,000 Genomes Project similarly found the vegetarian allele in 70 percent of South Asians, 53 percent of Africans, 29 percent of East Asians and 17 percent of Europeans.
“Northern Europeans have a long history of drinking milk and they absorbed enough end products from milk for long-chain fatty acid metabolism so they don’t have to increase capacity to synthesize those fatty acids from precursors,” said Ye.
Just another subhuman.
When dining alone, she was "very disciplined" and would often have low-carb meals
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When not at a function, dinners would often be fillets of beef or venison, pheasant, or salmon from farms in Sandringham and Balmoral, with something fruity for dessert. She also loved traditional British roast dinners on Sundays.
Barbara Hiebel carries 137 pounds on her 5-foot-11 frame. Most of her life she weighed 200 pounds more.
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Like many people who struggle with weight, Hiebel has a family tree that includes others with extra pounds. Her mother was heavy, as were other female relatives.
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The human body evolved over tens of thousands of years to hold on to excess calories through fat.
"The default is to promote eating. It's very simple, very logical. If it were not this way, you would die after you're born," said Tamas Horvath, a neuroscientist at the Yale School of Medicine. "When you live out in the wild, you need to be driven to find food, otherwise you're going to miss out on life."
Some people seem destined from birth to be thin, like everyone else in their family.
Only about a quarter of the population, those with a genetic gift for thinness, seem to escape extra pounds in today's food climate.
Computed morphs of the averaged unwarped image (GM morphs) depicting the same shape regressions and configurations as the thin-plate splines (Fig. 2): the sample average as well as the facial shapes corresponding to low (minus three standard deviations) and high (plus three standard deviations) of BMI, cortisol, and health rating.
Cortisol is synthesized from cholesterol.
all animal-based foods contain cholesterol in varying amounts.[53] Major dietary sources of cholesterol include red meat, egg yolks and whole eggs, liver, kidney, giblets, fish oil, and butter.[54]
Sorry, steak fans.Entire article: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/here-s-even-more-evidence-that-plant-protein-is-better-for-you-than-animal-protein?utm_source=pocket-newtab
It’d be great if a burger-a-day diet was healthy. Don’t get me wrong—it’s not the worst. You’ve got protein in there and hopefully some veggies on top (and on the side) , and even some fiber from the roll (you used whole grain, right?).Plant Protein Has More Nutrients and Fiber (Though Not All of the Amino Acids)
Unfortunately, study after study shows that meat as a protein source just isn't that healthy. It's far better to get that necessary protein from plants. Generally speaking, diets heavy on plant matter tend to be healthier. One study found that those eating the most fruit-and-veg-dense diets had a 31 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a roughly 20 percent lower risk of overall mortality than those eating animal-focused diets. That study didn't look specifically at protein, but participants consumed the other main animal-sourced food group, dairy, at about equal rates no matter what, so ultimately this comes down to replacing meat with alternative protein sources.
And yes, these associations are correlations, not causations. But there are some legitimate reasons that plant-based protein sources like beans are a healthier alternative to bacon. The researchers aren’t saying you can’t or shouldn’t indulge in a thick Delmonico or a flame-grilled cheeseburger. Rather that you should enjoy them in moderation. Generally, research shows that less animal meat—most especially red meat—is better than more, in terms of long term health. You don’t have to love tofu, either (it’s not the best plant-based protein anyway), as long as you strive to eat more of your protein from the ground and less from animals.
Here’s a deeper dive into why:
Animal meat is known for its many nutrients. If you eat a variety of animal meats (light and dark, not just beef, as well as various organs), you can take in all the amino acids you need to manufacture your own bodily proteins plus vitamins like B12, niacin, thiamine, B5, B6, B7, and vitamins A and K.
But here's the thing: If you swap all that animal protein for an equally diverse diet of plant-based proteins like nuts, seeds, and beans, you are no worse off. That's because these foods are also packed full of a similar spectrum of nutrients. The biggest difference is vitamin B12, which most plants cannot produce on their own. You can get B12 from edible seaweed and in fortified cereals, though the easiest way is through supplementation or by eating animal products.
Given their equal vitamin profile, Andrea Giancoli, a registered dietitian in California says plant-based proteins are far healthier than their meat counterparts. That’s because, pound-for-pound, they pack more nutrients into fewer calories. They also have one thing that animal proteins completely lack: fiber. (Except for things like tofu, which is processed, Giancoli notes.) Let’s not forget the fiber. Fiber aids in digestion, promotes a healthy gut microbiome, and is strongly associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk.
People Who Eat Plant Proteins in Part Have Healthier Habits
Meta-analyses that compared people who eat animal versus plant proteins consistently find that, even after adjusting for other influential factors like socioeconomic class, weight, and exercise habits, those who eat plants tend to live longer, healthier lives. They tend to have less cardiovascular disease and fewer cancer cases, though especially the cancer association tends to drop away once other factors have been controlled for. Despite all that controlling, though, there's still an association with living a longer life with fewer heart problems. There are almost certainly some small factors contributing to the association. People who eat plant proteins may see their doctor more regularly and thus get better preventive care. Maybe they tend to live in quieter, less polluted places.
Since correlations still exist between eating plant proteins and overall health, even after controlling for other factors, meta-analyses have generally concluded that lifestyle factors alone can't account for the correlation. One such analysis in the Journal of the American Medical Association noted that "Substitution of plant protein for animal protein, especially from processed red meat, may confer a substantial health benefit" and advised that policies promote plant proteins.
People Who Eat Plant Proteins in Part Have Healthier Habits
Meta-analyses that compared people who eat animal versus plant proteins consistently find that, even after adjusting for other influential factors like socioeconomic class, weight, and exercise habits, those who eat plants tend to live longer, healthier lives. They tend to have less cardiovascular disease and fewer cancer cases, though especially the cancer association tends to drop away once other factors have been controlled for. Despite all that controlling, though, there's still an association with living a longer life with fewer heart problems. There are almost certainly some small factors contributing to the association. People who eat plant proteins may see their doctor more regularly and thus get better preventive care. Maybe they tend to live in quieter, less polluted places.
Since correlations still exist between eating plant proteins and overall health, even after controlling for other factors, meta-analyses have generally concluded that lifestyle factors alone can't account for the correlation. One such analysis in the Journal of the American Medical Association noted that "Substitution of plant protein for animal protein, especially from processed red meat, may confer a substantial health benefit" and advised that policies promote plant proteins.
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