Macro partitioning
Substituting vegetable protein for carbohydrate or animal protein significantly reduces coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality in postmenopausal women, whereas substituting animal protein for carbohydrate shows no such benefit.
If you are a postmenopausal woman looking to reduce heart disease risk, focus on replacing carbohydrates with vegetable protein sources (like legumes, nuts, and tofu) rather than animal protein. The study shows a 30% reduction in heart disease mortality when vegetable protein replaces carbs or animal protein. Be cautious with red meat and dairy, as replacing carbs with these animal sources was associated with a 41-44% increased risk of heart disease mortality.
Among women in the highest intake quintile, CHD mortality decreased by 30% from an isoenergetic substitution of vegetable protein for carbohydrate (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.49, 0.99) and of vegetable for animal protein (95% CI: 0.51, 0.98), following multivariable adjustment.
Why this rating
Large prospective cohort (N=29,017), long follow-up (15 years), multivariable adjustment, but observational design limits causal inference.
Source
Associations of Dietary Protein with Disease and Mortality in a Prospective Study of Postmenopausal Women
Linda E. Kelemen · American Journal of Epidemiology · 2005
DOI 10.1093/aje/kwi038
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