A study published in The Lancet analysed the link between ultra-processed foods of plant origin and the risk of cardiovascular disease. What makes the difference is not the proteins’ origin but the manufacturing process.

Some vegan burgers or industrial milk substitutes are not beneficial. On the contrary, when ultra-processed, they can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. This is confirmed by a study published in The Lancet entitled “Implications of food ultra-processing on cardiovascular risk considering plant origin foods: an analysis of the UK Biobank cohort“, carried out by the University of São Paulo and the Imperial College of London and funded by the World Cancer Research Fund.

The accusation is directed at all those “plant-based” products that are obtained through numerous industrial processes and with the addition of potentially harmful ingredients, which could cause oxidative stress and inflammation, further aggravating the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular diseases and plant-based diets

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of premature death worldwide – we read in the study – and will contribute to 18.6 million deaths in 2019. Some argue that plant-based diets, characterised by low or no consumption of eggs, dairy products, fish and meat, are often associated with a reduced risk of many chronic diseases, but are these restrictive diets so beneficial?

Modern plant-based diets can include many ultra-processed foods, such as sausages, kibbles and vegan burgers, made from plant-based ingredients and marketed as meat and dairy substitutes. These are foods that have little to do with nature. They are in fact industrial formulations produced by denaturing the active ingredients of plants, i.e. extracting them from their organic matrix and depriving them of their biological function and then recombining them with additives in alternative products, with risks to human health.

A recent systematic and global scientific review (“Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses“), which included data from 45 pooled analyses involving 10 million participants, found that greater exposure to ultra-processed foods was associated with a higher risk of 32 conditions, including cardiometabolic, mental and general health disorders, as well as premature mortality.

The study in the Lancet

What is the potential risk of cardiovascular disease associated with a plant-based diet? The research was carried out on 118,000 middle-aged and elderly British people, who were sent repeated questionnaires over a decade and whose data were linked to hospital records. According to the researchers, if you want to follow a plant-based diet, it should be based on whole foods, truly plant-based, and only if the food is not over-processed.

“Despite their plant origin, ultra-processed foods may contribute to risk factors such as dyslipidaemia and hypertension due to their composition and processing methods,” commented researcher Fernanda Rauber, lead author of the report: “Food additives and industrial pollutants present in these foods may cause oxidative stress and inflammation, further exacerbating the risks.”

“There is now a lot of scientific data to work with. Research like this is essential to guide public policy,” concluded Professor Renata Levy, co-author of the study: “In this case, we have another strong argument to encourage a reduction in the consumption of ultra-processed foods, whether of animal or plant origin.”