Women who consume a majority of plant proteins are almost half as likely to suffer from chronic diseases as they age, according to researchers.
- A new study suggests that women who consume mainly plant proteins (soy, oilseeds, whole grains, etc.) are almost half as likely to develop a chronic disease during the last years of their life.
- Conversely, women who ate more animal proteins (meat, eggs, cheese, etc.) were 6% more likely to be in poor health as they got older.
- According to the researchers, the benefits of plant proteins may come, rather than from the protein itself, from the high proportion of fiber, micronutrients and polyphenols contained in plant-based foods.
Tofu, legumes, algae, oilseeds, whole grains… While plant proteins are on the rise, particularly for ethical and ecological reasons, a new study published in theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals that women who consume it regularly are more likely to be healthier as they age.
Plant proteins associated with fewer chronic diseases with age
As part of their work, researchers from Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University in the United States examined self-reported data from some 48,000 physically and mentally healthy women aged between 38 and 59 at the start of the study period in 1984. Followed until In 2016, participants were asked, every four years, the frequency with which they consumed certain foods rich in protein, whether plant or animal.
Based on their responses, the researchers then evaluated the effects of this or that diet on their aging, and in particular the decline in their physical/mental functions and the appearance of 11 chronic diseases (hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes). type 2, cancers, cognitive decline, etc.).
As a result, they discovered that women who consumed a lot of plant proteins were 46% more likely to be spared chronic diseases in the last years of their life. Conversely, those who ate more animal proteins (meat, eggs, cheese, etc.) were 6% more likely to be in poor health as they aged.
More fiber, micronutrients and polyphenols in plant proteins
“The source of proteins is important, summarizes researcher Andres Ardisson Korat, lead author of the study, in a communicated. Starting in your 40s, getting the majority of your protein from plant sources, plus a small amount of animal protein, seems to be conducive to maintaining good health as you age.”
According to the scientific team, the benefits of plant proteins may come from the components of plant-based foods, rather than the protein itself. Compared to foodstuffs of animal origin, plants actually contain “a higher proportion of dietary fiber, micronutrients and polyphenols”whose antioxidant properties can reduce the risks of early onset of diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases.