What a Study on Ultraprocessed Fake Meat and Heart Disease Really Found

A recent study found that eating ultraprocessed plant-based foods was linked to heart attack and stroke risk. But the devil is in the details

Recent headlines denounced plant-based fake meat—such as vegetarian sausages and textured vegetable protein—as unhealthy and claimed that their consumption is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. But a closer look at the study underpinning these claims suggests a more nuanced story.

The real culprits are in fact “plant-based” ultraprocessed foods as a whole, not meat substitutes in particular, according to the paper that kickstarted the headlines. But there’s an important caveat: “plant-based” foods include ones you might not expect—such as chocolate-covered biscuits, frozen pizza and sodas.

The study, published earlier this month in the Lancet Regional Health–Europe, linked plant-based ultraprocessed foods to an increased risk of cardiovascular-related illnesses and death.

Implications of food ultra-processing on cardiovascular risk considering plant origin foods: an analysis of the UK Biobank cohort

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(24)00115-7/fulltext