Plant protein not inferior to meat, beef industry-funded study finds
In a spectacular own goal, a study setting out to present plant protein as inferior to meat protein found instead that it builds muscle in exactly the same way. Using the outdated notion of ‘incomplete proteins’, researchers fed middle-aged women beef (complete protein), beans and bread (complementary protein), or just beans or bread (incomplete protein). They found all meals stimulated muscle growth in the same way.
Had it gone their way, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, who funded the study, would undoubtedly have made a song and dance about it in the Daily Mail. However, it took YouTuber Mic the Vegan to bring this to our attention!
Arentson-Lantz EJ, Von Ruff Z, Connolly G et al. 2024. Meals containing equivalent total protein from foods providing complete, complementary, or incomplete essential amino acid profiles do not differentially affect 24-h skeletal muscle protein synthesis in healthy, middle-aged women. Journal of Nutrition. Epub ahead of print.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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