Research
Mixed
Substituting animal meat with plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) may improve cardiovascular risk factors like TMAO levels, but may also negatively impact bone health markers compared to meat consumption.
If you switch to plant-based meats, monitor your overall diet. While it might help some heart health markers, it may not support bone health as well as meat. Ensure you are getting enough calcium and vitamin D from other sources.
GoodQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
A recent 12-week randomised controlled trial found increased markers of poorer bone health in the plant-based arm [65]. A slightly longer 16-week crossover randomised trial comparing PBMAs (Beyond Meat products) with animal-based meat found the former to improve cardiovascular risk factors, including trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), relative to eating meat [66].
Why this rating
Based on specific RCTs cited in the review, though the review notes these are preliminary and short-term.
Source
A Critical Appraisal of the Evidence Supporting Consumer Motivations for Alternative Proteins
Rachel Tso et al. · Foods · 2020
DOI 10.3390/foods10010024
narrative_reviewCited 167×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) often have higher sodium and saturated fat content than conventional meat, and their health benefits are largely inferred from traditional plant-based diets rather than direct evidence on the processed products themselves.Good
- Consumer acceptance of alternative proteins is significantly hindered by sensory challenges, including inferior taste, texture, and off-flavors, which are difficult to replicate compared to animal meat.Good
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