Mycoprotein

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Cholesterol and appetite²

  Eating mycoprotein has been shown to lower cholesterol and curb appetite, though scientists are still studying how it works.

• Benefit

  Heart and blood sugar health³

  Eating mycoprotein instead of meat has been linked to better cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

• Benefit

  Blood cholesterol and appetite⁴

  Eating mycoprotein has been linked to lower blood cholesterol and eating less at your next meal.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol and blood sugar⁵

  Eating mycoprotein may improve cholesterol, blood sugar and fullness, but scientists say more research is needed.

• Open question

  Blood sugar after eating⁶

  In people, mycoprotein in a milky drink changed how the body handled glucose, but not blood sugar levels.

• Benefit

  Muscle building after exercise⁷

  In people, mycoprotein helped rebuild muscle after exercise just as well as pea protein did.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar after meals⁸

  In people, mycoprotein in a milkshake lowered blood sugar and insulin levels after eating.

• Benefit

  Appetite and eating⁹

  In women, eating mycoprotein cut how much they ate that day and the next, compared with chicken.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol levels in people¹¹

  In people with slightly raised cholesterol, eating mycoprotein cookies lowered total and LDL cholesterol more than plain cookies.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol levels in overweight adults¹²

  Overweight adults with high cholesterol who ate mycoprotein foods for four weeks lowered their cholesterol.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol and heart risk¹³

  In men, eating mycoprotein instead of red and processed meat lowered total and LDL cholesterol.

• Open question

  Blood sugar and cholesterol¹⁴

  In healthy adults, eating mycoprotein at lunch and dinner for a week changed blood fats but not blood sugar.

• Benefit

  Appetite and calorie intake¹⁶

  In overweight volunteers, mycoprotein meals led to eating less and lower insulin than chicken meals.

• Benefit

  Feeling full after eating¹⁷

  Overweight women felt fuller after a lunch with mycoprotein and ate less at that meal.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar and diet quality¹⁸

  People who ate mycoprotein had better diet quality scores and lower blood sugar markers than those who did not.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Muscle and gut health²⁰

  Mycoprotein is a fungal protein that may support muscle building, blood sugar control and gut bacteria.

Allergies and intolerances

These are about people with an allergy, an intolerance or coeliac disease. The signal is about the ingredient itself, and these are about the person eating it, so the signal does not count them.

• Mould allergy reactions¹⁰

  People allergic to mould may react to mycoprotein, though tests on workers and patients found few problems.

• Allergic and gut reactions¹⁵

  People reported allergic and stomach reactions after eating mycoprotein in Quorn foods, some within an hour.

Single cases of misuse or overdose

One person or one incident, such as an accidental overdose or a mistake in a kitchen or factory. They are real, but a single case does not show what happens at normal amounts, so the signal does not count them.

• Food allergy reactions¹⁹

  In one asthma patient, a mold protein in mycoprotein may have caused severe allergic reactions.

How it’s made and used

• Gut bacteria and fibre²¹

  In lab studies, mycoprotein was not broken down by gut bacteria from healthy donors.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.