Mycoprotein in place of red and processed meat: effects on heart risk markers
What it found
In 20 healthy men, swapping red and processed meat for mycoprotein for two weeks lowered total and LDL cholesterol and slightly reduced waist circumference.
Blood pressure, triglycerides, blood sugar and TMAO showed no clear differences.
What they found
Studies in people
Cholesterol
After the mycoprotein phase, total cholesterol fell by 6.74% and LDL cholesterol fell by 12.3% from baseline. The difference between the mycoprotein and meat phases was also significant for both.
Waist circumference
Waist circumference was 0.95 cm lower after the mycoprotein phase than after the meat phase. Body weight, BMI and body fat did not change significantly.
Blood pressure
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure dropped slightly from baseline on mycoprotein, but the difference between the two diets was not statistically significant.
Blood fats and glucose
Triglycerides, HDL cholesterol and fasting plasma glucose were not significantly different between the two diets.
Urinary markers
Urinary potassium and nitrate were significantly higher after mycoprotein than after meat. Urinary sodium, nitrite and TMAO showed no significant differences between diets.
Heart risk scores
Scores estimating 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease did not change significantly on either diet. The authors note the participants were young and healthy, so scores were low to begin with.
What the authors conclude
“These results confirm potential cardiovascular benefits when displacing red and processed meat with mycoprotein in the diet.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that substituting mycoprotein for red and processed meat improves biochemical markers of cardiovascular disease risk in a real-world setting.
- They say longer trials in higher risk populations are needed to fully understand the suggested benefits for blood pressure and body composition.
- They recommend further work to evaluate dose response and to explain the mechanisms behind the observed changes.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see whether mycoprotein specifically benefits heart risk markers when it replaces red and processed meat, since previous trials had only compared it with total meat.
Twenty metabolically healthy men, average age 30.4 years, ate either 240 g per day of red and processed meat or the same weight of mycoprotein-based foods for 14 days, then switched to the other diet after a 4-week break. Blood tests and body measurements were taken at the start and end of each phase.
What it can’t tell you
- The study was small (20 men) and lasted only two weeks, so it cannot show long-term effects.
- The participants were young, healthy and male, so the results may not apply to women, older people or those with existing health conditions.
- The trial was designed to look at gut health, not heart risk, so the heart-related findings are secondary and could be chance findings.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- This work was part funded by Marlow foods Ltd. TJAF is a consultant to Marlow Foods; DNF, JLG, WC, JMM and DMC are employees of Northumbria University. TJAF contributed to the project through regular discussion and by providing logistical support enabling effective study blinding. The research team at Northumbria University was responsible for the research design, data collection and analysis, and preparation of the manuscript. Aside from those mentioned above, the authors report no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- University of Northumbria, UK; Northumbria University, UK
The paper
- Title
- The effects of substituting red and processed meat for mycoprotein on biomarkers of cardiovascular risk in healthy volunteers: an analysis of secondary endpoints from Mycomeat
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Farsi DN, Gallegos JL, Finnigan TJA, Cheung W, Munoz JM, Commane DM (2023). The effects of substituting red and processed meat for mycoprotein on biomarkers of cardiovascular risk in healthy volunteers: an analysis of secondary endpoints from Mycomeat. European journal of nutrition. doi:10.1007/s00394-023-03238-1Free full textPubMed 37624376DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error