Plant-based meat alternatives, despite being ultraprocessed, may be healthier for the heart than meat, a new report suggests. A review of previous studies found that risk factors for heart disease, including total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and body weight, improved when various animal-based meats were replaced with a substitute made from plants, according to the paper, published Wednesday in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.
“Obviously, it could be difficult to conduct a double-blind trial because people might be able to tell whether they were eating meat or an alternative,” he said. “But some of the newer plant-based meats are very close in flavor to actual meat.” Dr. Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H.