SWAP-MEAT: Study With Appetizing Plant Food - Meat Eating Alternatives Trial

Stanford University38 enrolled

Overview

This study aims to investigate the impact of replacing meat consumption with plant-based meat alternative consumption on cardiovascular health, the gut microbiome, and metabolic status.

Plant-based meat alternatives that closely emulate animal protein provide a new opportunity to decrease meat consumption worldwide. Decreasing meat consumption and shifting to a plant-based diet has been linked to improvements in physical health, including decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes (Kahleova, Levin, \& Barnard, 2017). However, the extent to which plant-based meat alternatives specifically can modulate biomarkers of physical health, particularly TMAO and IGF-1, and the gut microbiome remain relatively unexplored. It is also largely unknown to what extent consumers can feasibly and sustainably exchange meat products for plant-based meat alternatives for extended periods of time. Plant-based meat alternatives offer a promising way to support consumers' shift to a plant-based diet, and in turn, to potentially improve levels of TMAO and IGF-1 and decrease cardiovascular risk. Thus, the investigators hypothesize that consumer levels of TMAO and IGF-1 will be improved after 8 weeks of consuming plant-based meat alternative products, as compared to 8 weeks of consuming traditional meat products.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

DOUBLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Microbiome Immune Function Cardiovascular Diseases

Interventions

Meat productsBEHAVIORAL

Traditional meat products (beef burger patties, pork sausage, etc.)

Plant Alternative productsBEHAVIORAL

Plant-based alternatives (The Beyond Burger, Beyond Sausage, etc.)

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥18 * Meat consumption (beef, pork/sausage, chicken) on average ≥ once a day * Willing to consume meat (beef, pork/sausage, chicken) ≥ 2 times a day Exclusion Criteria: * Weight \< 110 lb * BMI ≥ 40 * LDL-C \>190 mg/dL * Systolic blood pressure (SBP) \> 160 mmHg OR Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) \> 90 mmHg * Use of any of the following drugs/supplements within the last 2 months: * systemic antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals or antiparasitics (intravenous, intramuscular, or oral); * corticosteroids (intravenous, intramuscular, oral, nasal or inhaled); * cytokines; * methotrexate or immunosuppressive cytotoxic agents; * Chronic, clinically significant, or unstable (unresolved, requiring on-going changes to medical management or medication) pulmonary, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hepatic or renal functional abnormality, as determined by medical history, Type 1 diabetes, dialysis. * History of active cancer in the past 3 years except for squamous or basal cell carcinomas of the skin that have been medically managed by local excision. * Unstable dietary history as defined by major changes in diet during the previous month, where the subject has eliminated or significantly increased a major food group in the diet. * Recent history of chronic excessive alcohol consumption defined as more than five 1.5-ounce servings of 80 proof distilled spirits, five 12-ounce servings of beer or five 5-ounce servings of wine per day; or \> 14 drinks/week. * Any confirmed or suspected condition/state of immunosuppression or immunodeficiency (primary or acquired) including HIV infection, multiple sclerosis and Graves' disease. * Regular/frequent use of smoking or chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes, cigars or other nicotine-containing products. * Regular use of prescription opiate pain medication

Locations (1)

Stanford University

Stanford, California, United States