Plant protein linked to longer life expectancy, study suggests

According to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, people who eat more plant-based protein had a reduced risk of early death than those who ate more animal protein.

The research examined 30 years’ of diet data from 130,000 people.

The findings suggested that for every three per cent increase in calories from plant protein, the risk of death from any cause during the period studied was reduced by 10 per cent, with a 12 per cent lower risk of death from heart disease.

However, increasing the animal protein share of calories by 10 per cent led to a two per cent higher risk of all-cause death and an eight per cent greater chance of dying from a heart problem

The association became stronger in people with other risk factors such as obesity; smoking; heavy drinkers; and lack of exercise.

Mingyang Song, who worked on the study, explained: “Our findings suggest that people should consider eating more plant proteins than animal proteins, and when they do choose among sources of animal protein, fish and chicken are probably better choices.

“Future studies should examine the mechanisms underlying the different effects of plant and animal proteins - along with different sources of animal proteins - on overall health."

Dr Ian Johnson, a nutrition researcher and emeritus fellow at the Institute of Food Research (IFR), said: "This interesting and robust work seems to support the growing consensus that diets based largely on plant foods are better for long-term health than diets containing large quantities of meat and dairy products, but it tells us little about mechanism.

"It is far from clear whether plant proteins are protective or animal proteins are detrimental to health, or whether these protein levels are simply markers for something else."