A metabolomics comparison of plant-based meat and grass-fed meat indicates large nutritional differences despite comparable Nutrition Facts panels.
Abstract
A new generation of plant-based meat alternatives-formulated to mimic the taste and
nutritional composition of red meat-have attracted considerable consumer interest,
research attention, and media coverage. This has raised questions of whether plant-based
meat alternatives represent proper nutritional replacements to animal meat. The goal
of our study was to use untargeted metabolomics to provide an in-depth comparison
of the metabolite profiles a popular plant-based meat alternative (n = 18) and grass-fed
ground beef (n = 18) matched for serving size (113 g) and fat content (14 g). Despite
apparent similarities based on Nutrition Facts panels, our metabolomics analysis found
that metabolite abundances between the plant-based meat alternative and grass-fed
ground beef differed by 90% (171 out of 190 profiled metabolites; false discovery
rate adjusted p < 0.05). Several metabolites were found either exclusively (22 metabolites)
or in greater quantities in beef (51 metabolites) (all, p < 0.05). Nutrients such
as docosahexaenoic acid (ω-3), niacinamide (vitamin B3), glucosamine, hydroxyproline
and the anti-oxidants allantoin, anserine, cysteamine, spermine, and squalene were
amongst those only found in beef. Several other metabolites were found exclusively
(31 metabolites) or in greater quantities (67 metabolites) in the plant-based meat
alternative (all, p < 0.05). Ascorbate (vitamin C), phytosterols, and several phenolic
anti-oxidants such as loganin, sulfurol, syringic acid, tyrosol, and vanillic acid
were amongst those only found in the plant-based meat alternative. Large differences
in metabolites within various nutrient classes (e.g., amino acids, dipeptides, vitamins,
phenols, tocopherols, and fatty acids) with physiological, anti-inflammatory, and/or
immunomodulatory roles indicate that these products should not be viewed as truly
nutritionally interchangeable, but could be viewed as complementary in terms of provided
nutrients. The new information we provide is important for making informed decisions
by consumers and health professionals. It cannot be determined from our data if either
source is healthier to consume.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/23964Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1038/s41598-021-93100-3Publication Info
van Vliet, Stephan; Bain, James R; Muehlbauer, Michael J; Provenza, Frederick D; Kronberg,
Scott L; Pieper, Carl F; & Huffman, Kim M (2021). A metabolomics comparison of plant-based meat and grass-fed meat indicates large nutritional
differences despite comparable Nutrition Facts panels. Scientific reports, 11(1). pp. 13828. 10.1038/s41598-021-93100-3. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/23964.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
James R. Bain
Professor in Medicine
Kim Marie Huffman
Associate Professor of Medicine
Determining the role of physical activity in modulating health outcomes (cardiovascular
disease risk) in persons with rheumatologic diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, gout,
osteoarthritis) Integrating clinical rheumatology, basic immunology, metabolism,
and exercise science in order to reduce morbidity in individuals with arthritis Evaluating
relationships between circulating and intra-muscular metabolic intermediates and insulin
resistance in sedentary as well as individu
Carl F. Pieper
Professor of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics
Analytic Interests. 1) Issues in the Design of Medical Experiments: I explore the
use of reliability/generalizability models in experimental design. In addition to
incorporation of reliability, I study powering longitudinal trials with multiple outcomes
and substantial missing data using Mixed models. 2) Issues in the Analysis of Repeated
Measures Designs & Longitudinal Data: Use of Hierarchical Linear Models (HLM) or Mixed
Models in modeling trajectories of multipl
Stephan Van Vliet
Postdoctoral Associate
Human physiologist studying the effects of food and physical activity on human health.Dr.
van Vliet earned his PhD in Kinesiology and Community Health as an ESPEN Fellow from
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and received post-doctoral training
at the Center for Human Nutrition in the Washington University in St Louis School
of Medicine. Dr. van Vliet also holds a Masters in Nutrition Science. Currently a
member of the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute w
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