Researchers from Duke University say that meat products and plant-based substitutes are not “truly nutritionally interchangeable.”
The team believes their findings can help consumers make informed decisions regarding their diet.
"If you peek behind the curtain using metabolomics and look at expanded nutritional profiles, we found that there are large differences between meat and a plant-based meat alternative." Stephan van Vliet, study co-author, via The Independent
Researchers compared 18 samples of plant-based meat alternatives to an equal number of grass-fed ground beef samples.
The team found 171 out of the 190 metabolites they measured varied between the two.
The beef samples contained 22 metabolites that the plant substitutes did not.
The plant-based meat contained 31 metabolites not found in the real meat.
Several metabolites known to be important to human health were absent from plant-based meat or in lesser quantities.
"It is important for consumers to understand that these products should not be viewed as nutritionally interchangeable, but that’s not to say that one is better than the other. Plant and animal foods can be complementary, because they provide different nutrients." Stephan van Vliet, study co-author, via The Independent.
The team called for further studies on the short and long-term effects of particular metabolites in meat and plant-based meat alternatives.