The results are in for the first-ever clinical trial using vegan Beyond Meat products! Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the Stanford University SWAP-MEAT study compared the health effects of consuming plant-based versus animal meat and found that eating vegan meat improved several risk factors for heart disease.
Study participants were instructed to consume animal meat for eight weeks and then plant-based Beyond Meat for another eight weeks. All other foods and beverages consumed during the two phases were to remain the same. Throughout the study, participants received dietary counseling and lab assessments.
The study noted several fascinating developments when the participants switched from animal meat to vegan meat. Their levels of LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol dropped, as did their trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) levels. People with elevated TMAO can have a 60 percent higher risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular events. Participants also lost an average of two pounds during the second phase of the study, even while consuming around the same number of calories. The study concluded:
Among generally healthy adults, contrasting Plant with Animal intake, while keeping all other dietary components similar, the Plant products improved several cardiovascular disease risk factors, including TMAO; there were no adverse effects on risk factors from the Plant products.
These results make sense. Beyond Meat products offer equal (or greater!) amounts of protein as animal meat and have no cholesterol, less saturated fat, and no antibiotics or hormones.
Choosing Beyond Meat over animal meat isn’t just better for your health—it’s much better for the environment! According to a peer-reviewed life-cycle analysis by the University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems, a Beyond Burger takes 99 percent less water, 93 percent less land, and 46 percent less energy to produce than a beef burger.
So what are you waiting for? Learn more about the benefits of plant-based eating by downloading our FREE Vegetarian Starter Guide.