Proteins play a crucial role in metabolism, in maintaining fluid and acid-base balance and antibody synthesis.
Dietary proteins are important nutrients and are classified into: 1) animal
proteins (meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy), and, 2)
plant proteins (legumes, nuts and soy).
Dietary modification is one of the most important lifestyle changes that has been shown to significantly decrease the risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) by attenuating related risk factors. The CVD burden is reduced by optimum diet through replacement of unprocessed meat with low saturated fat, animal
proteins and
plant proteins. In view of the available evidence, it has become acceptable to emphasize the role of optimum nutrition to maintain arterial and CV health. Such healthy diets are thought to increase satiety, facilitate
weight loss, and improve CV risk. Different studies have compared the benefits of omnivorous and
vegetarian diets. Animal
protein related risk has been suggested to be greater with red or processed meat over and above poultry, fish and nuts, which carry a lower risk for CVD. In contrast, others have shown no association of red meat intake with CVD. The aim of this expert opinion recommendation was to elucidate the different impact of animal vs
vegetable protein on modifying cardiometabolic risk factors. Many observational and interventional studies confirmed that increasing
protein intake, especially plant-based
proteins and certain animal-based
proteins (poultry, fish, unprocessed red meat low in saturated
fats and low-fat dairy products) have a positive effect in modifying cardiometabolic risk factors. Red meat intake correlates with increased CVD risk, mainly because of its non-
protein ingredients (saturated
fats). However, the way red meat is cooked and preserved matters. Thus, it is recommended to substitute red meat with poultry or fish in order to lower CVD risk. Specific
amino acids have favourable results in modifying major risk factors for CVD, such as
hypertension. Apart from meat, other animal-source
proteins, like those found in dairy products (especially
whey protein) are inversely correlated to
hypertension,
obesity and
insulin resistance.