Mycoprotein: environmental impact and health effects
What it found
Mycoprotein, a fungal protein used as a meat substitute, has been linked to lower cholesterol and better blood sugar and insulin responses in people.
It causes similar environmental impact to chicken and pork.
What they found
Studies in people
Cholesterol and blood sugar
In people, eating mycoprotein instead of meat has been linked to lower total blood cholesterol and improved blood sugar and insulin responses. The greatest cholesterol benefits were seen in people who already had raised cholesterol levels.
Insulin response
In healthy people, mycoprotein caused a slower but longer rise in insulin compared to milk. The insulin peak came 45 minutes after the mycoprotein meal but only 15 minutes after the milk meal.
Protein quality
In healthy young men, the amino acids from mycoprotein were taken up by the body as well as those from milk and better than from plant proteins. A dose of 60 g of mycoprotein gave the best response for muscle protein synthesis.
Satiety and weight
Compared to chicken, mycoprotein may increase feelings of fullness. This could be due to its protein and fiber content, and might help reduce hunger and energy intake.
Other findings
Environmental impact
Life cycle analyses show mycoprotein causes less environmental impact than beef. It has a similar impact to chicken and pork, and is less efficient than some vegetarian options when compared by calorie or protein content.
RNA and gout risk
Mycoprotein naturally contains 10% RNA, which can raise uric acid and is a risk factor for gout. Production heating reduces RNA to less than 2%.
What the authors conclude
“Mycoprotein is an interesting source of good-quality proteins, with good acceptance among consumers, and proven positive impacts in cholesterol, sugar, and insulin blood levels.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that mycoprotein is an interesting source of good-quality proteins with proven positive impacts on cholesterol, sugar, and insulin blood levels.
- They note that the high price of mycoprotein narrows its consumption to developed markets, and the raw materials used impose a high environmental impact compared to other vegetarian options.
- They suggest that alternative production processes using agro-industrial residues as substrate and solid state fermentation should be investigated.
How it was done
The authors wanted to review what is known about mycoprotein's environmental impact and health effects, because meat production harms the environment and consumers need meat alternatives that provide nutritional benefits with less harm.
They reviewed published studies on mycoprotein, including life cycle analyses of its environmental impact and human trials on its effects on cholesterol, blood sugar, insulin, and satiety.
What it can’t tell you
- Most health findings come from short-term studies in small groups of people. They cannot show whether mycoprotein prevents disease over years.
- The environmental comparisons depend on how the studies were set up and what they compared. They cannot give a single answer for all products.
- The optimal dose of mycoprotein for health benefits is not known for men, women, children, or older adults.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Borås, Sweden; Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
The paper
- Title
- Mycoprotein: environmental impact and health aspects
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Souza Filho PF, Andersson D, Ferreira JA, Taherzadeh MJ (2019). Mycoprotein: environmental impact and health aspects. World journal of microbiology & biotechnology. doi:10.1007/s11274-019-2723-9Free full textPubMed 31549247DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error