THURSDAY, Dec. 5, 2024 (HealthDay News) — A higher plant-to-animal protein (P:A) ratio is associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a study published online Dec. 2 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Andrea J. Glenn, from New York University in New York City, and colleagues evaluated associations between the P:A ratio and incident CVD, coronary artery disease (CAD), and stroke. The analysis included data from 70,918 women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS; 1984 to 2016), 89,205 women in the NHSII (1991 to 2017), and 42,740 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986 to 2016).

The researchers found that during 30 years of follow-up, participants had a lower risk for total CVD (hazard ratio [HR], 0.81; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.76 to 0.87; P trend < 0.001) and CAD (HR, 0.73; 95 percent CI, 0.67 to 0.79; P trend < 0.001) when comparing highest to lowest deciles of the P:A ratio (ratio: ~0.76 versus ~0.24). However, there was no association for stroke (HR, 0.98; 95 percent CI, 0.88 to 1.09; P trend = 0.71). There were both linear and nonlinear relationships for CVD and CAD, with more marked risk reductions early in the dose-response curve. With higher ratios and protein density (20.8 percent energy) combined, lower risks for CVD (HR, 0.72; 95 percent CI, 0.64 to 0.82) and CAD (HR, 0.64; 95 percent CI, 0.55 to 0.75) were seen. Replacing red and processed meat with several plant protein sources showed the greatest cardiovascular benefit.

“The findings also indicate that a ratio of ≥0.5 should be considered for CVD risk reduction, although this ratio may be higher for CAD prevention (≥0.76), and that plant protein consumption combined with higher protein density may provide additional cardiovascular benefit,” the authors write.

One of the authors disclosed ties to the food and nutrition industry.

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