A new study might have some good news for those trying to lower cholesterol levels quicker. Published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (February 2025), researchers took a deep look into how plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) affect your heart health.
What’s the Deal with PBMAs?
PBMAs—like Phuture or Ultimeat—are designed to look, taste, and feel like real meat, but they’re made from plants (think soy, peas, or even fungi). So what did they find out?
The Study in a Nutshell
In 7 randomized controlled trials, involving 369 adults who didn’t have heart disease. They replace meat for PBMAs in their diets, for 1–8 weeks and tracked key statistics: cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, and body weight. Here’s what the results:
- Cholesterol Drop: Swapping meat for PBMAs lowered LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by 0.25 mmol/L (about 12%) and total cholesterol by 0.29 mmol/L (around 6%).
- No Change Elsewhere: HDL (“good”) cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and fasting blood sugar stayed pretty much the same.
What Does It Mean?
Replacing meat with PBMAs for a few weeks can nudge your heart health in the right direction—lower cholesterol The researchers think PBMAs might work because they often have less saturated fat and more fiber than meat, but then, they are still ultra-processed foods (UPFs) with stuff like added salt or sugar. So, not all PBMAs are created equal—check those labels!
Should You Swap?
We don’t know for sure. It’s just one study and very recent. But there is a plant-based alternative we can recommend – Oat BG 22!