Table 3. Associations of animal and plant protein intake with cardiovascular disease.
| Author, country | Year | Study design | Age (mean ± SD or range) | Subject No. | Background nutrient intake | Comparison groups | Duration | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| van Nielen et al. [29], Netherlands | 2014 | RCT | 61 ± 5 yrs | 15 | Background diet: 18%, 45%, and 34% energy from protein, carbohydrate, and fat, respectively | HP1) diet vs. HS1) diet | 12 wks | Total and LDL cholesterol were lower after HS diet |
| Tielemans et al. [30], Netherlands | 2014 | Prospective cohort | 70.1 ± 4.6 yrs | 272 | Baseline median intake: 4.1%, 4.9%, and 5.9% energy intake from plant protein in lowest, middle, and highest tertile group, respectively | T1 of plant protein intake2) vs. T2 and T2 of plant protein intake2) | 5 yrs | T2 and T3 of plant protein intake were related to change in SBP and DBP |
| Liu et al. [23], China | 2013 | Cross sectional | 18–80 yrs | 2,241 | Not available | Q1 of animal protein intake3) vs. Q4 of animal protein intake3) (female) | Not available | Hypertension risk was inversely associated with animal protein intake |
| Chung et al. [31], Korea | 2020 | Cross sectional | 30–64 yrs | 13,485 | Not available | Q1 of animal protein intake4) vs. Q4 of animal protein intake4) (male) | Not available | Reduced HDL cholesterol risk was positively associated with animal intake |
| Q1 of plant protein intake5) vs. Q4 of plant protein intake5) (male) | High blood pressure risk was inversely associated with plant protein intake |
RCT, randomized controlled trial; HP, high mixed protein; HS, high soy protein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; HDL, high-density lipoprotein.
1)HP diet: high protein diet of mixed, not soy sources (high protein mix, 1.6 g protein/kg/day); HS diet: high protein diet replacing meat with soy (high protein soy, 1.7 g protein/kg/day, 30 g/day soy).
2)T1: lowest tertile group, energy intake from plant protein 4.1%/day; T2 and T3: middle and highest tertile groups, energy intake from plant protein 4.9% and 5.9%/day, respectively (baseline median intake).
3)Q1: lowest quartile group, animal protein intake < 3.4 g/day; Q4: highest quartile group, animal protein intake > 11.3 g/day.
4)Q1: lowest quartile group, animal protein intake 11.4 ± 0.3 g/day; Q4: highest quartile group, animal protein intake 88.4 ± 1.3 g/day.
5)Q1: lowest quartile group, plant protein intake 22.2 ± 0.2 g/day; Q4: highest quartile group, plant protein intake 62.5 ± 0.4 g/day.