Pitfalls of plant-based diets

Caryn Lipson

August 24, 2024

Plant-based diets - yay or nay?

Dangers of ultra-processed plant-based foods

A recent Lancet study found that ultra-processed plant-based foods are dangerous to one’s health. These products, plant-based versions of animal products prepared as substitutes for the real thing, include, as Epoch Times writer Ellen Wan wrote, “vegan sausages, nuggets, and burgers, as well as plant-based beverages such as soy and plant milks and sugary drinks. Snacks and candies made from processed plant ingredients are increasingly prevalent.” These products, the study found, "can be detrimental to health and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality," the very things a plant-based diet is claimed to decrease.

Growing market, none-the-less

Wan cites the Plant-Based Food Association, which explains that consumption of plant-based foods has increased since COVID hit; more consumers are paying attention to their health and believe they are improving it by “prioritizing a plant-based diet.”

The graphic below (which she did not include), from the Plant-Based Food Association, shows the market value of plant-based foods in 2022.

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Ultra-processed foods' harms offset health benefits

Wan states that studies show plant-based foods have significant health benefits. Plant-based diets that encourage eating plant foods with minimal or no meat, fish, eggs, or dairy products can help individuals “lower cholesterol and blood pressure, manage weight, reduce the risk of CVD and diabetes, and decrease the mortality risk from ischemic heart disease.”

Yet, the Lancet study, Wan explains, shows that the ultra-processed plant-based foods are just as unhealthy as non-plant-based ultra-processed foods and appear to erase any positive benefits a plant-based diet may have.

“While ultra-processed foods are often marketed as healthy foods, this large study shows that plant-based ultra-processed foods do not seem to have protective health effects and are linked to poor health outcomes,” Eszter Vamos, co-author of the study and a member of the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, said in a statement.

This is because ultra-processed foods contain not only high levels of salt, fat, and sugar but also various additives.

Instead, readers are advised to consider the degree of processing when making plant-based food choices.

Fernanda Rauber, the study’s lead author and a researcher at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, said in the statement: “Despite being plant-based, these foods can contribute to risk factors such as dyslipidaemia and hypertension due to their composition and processing methods. Food additives and industrial contaminants present in these foods can cause oxidative stress and inflammation, further aggravating the risks.

“Therefore, our results support the shift towards plant-based food choices that consider the degree of processing to improve cardiovascular health outcomes.”

Wan also cited a 2021 study published in the Journal of Nutrition that came to the same conclusion as Vamos,

A 2021 study published in the Journal of Nutrition indicated that not all vegetarian diets are healthy. Vegetarians who consume excessive amounts of ultra-processed foods, such as plant-based meat and dairy substitutes, may experience the same health issues as meat-eaters.

Nutritional deficiencies

Other articles about plant-based diets warn of nutritional deficiencies, since plants do not have some of the nutrients present in animal foods, such as vitamins D, B12, calcium, zinc, and more. Here are a few of the articles:

Less CVD, more hemorrhagic stroke

What Wan neglected to mention in her article, however, are the conclusions that Clem and Barthel come to — that plant-based diets have mixed and uncertain results, as they wrote:

‍Recently published research has identified other potential risks of a plant-based diet which deserve further study. . . . it is prudent for those on a plant-based diet to ensure sufficient intake of calcium- and vitamin D-containing foods. Careful attention to intake of fortified foods, such as plant-based milks [those that Wan referred to above, as being ultra-processed and unhealthy], may be helpful.

According to another recent study published in the British Medical Journal, hemorrhagic stroke was cited as a risk for vegetarians and vegans. This study compared the rates of stroke between meat eaters, pescatarians, and vegetarians, and found a statistically significant increase in hemorrhagic stroke in vegetarians compared to meat eaters. . . . Although the study was informative, these results of increased stroke risk have not been corroborated by further studies. This same study found that vegetarians, including vegans, had lower rates of myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, obesity, high cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes. (Emphases added.)

It is, therefore, hard to conclude that plant-based diets, even without ultra-processed foods, are indeed a healthy choice.

Carnivores can reduce CVD risk, too

Fortunately, all is not lost. The Japanese diet, which Wan wrote about at the end of her article, reduces cardiovascular disease risk and extends life without having to give up animal protein or eating ultra-processed vegan versions of the real thing.

5 Food Categories of Japanese Diet

◾ Grains, such as rice, bread, and noodles
◾ Vegetables, such as green vegetables, mushrooms, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, and seaweed
◾ Fish, meat, and protein, including eggs and organic soy products [which should be fermented to remove phytic acid]
◾ Dairy, such as milk, butter, and cheese
◾ Fruits, such as oranges, apples, persimmons, pears, grapes, and peaches

The food categories are listed in order of the recommended daily servings, totaling 2,000 to 2,400 calories. The guidelines also recommend drinking plenty of water or tea and limiting the consumption of processed snacks, sweets, and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Some food for thought!

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