Protein in meat vs Beyond Burger

Executive summary

* This week's note reviews a study that examined meat vs fake meat (Beyond Burger).

* Other studies have looked at the nutritional profile of meat vs the plant substitute. This study went a step further by looking at the effect of the two items once digested.

* The aim of the study was to compare the post-meal digestive response of four different single foods (lamb, pasture-raised beef, grain-finished beef, and Beyond Burger). The study was mainly focused on protein and the amino acids that protein provides.

* The study involved 30 young healthy men and thus may not be generalisable to the general population.

* The main findings were that Beyond Burger produced significantly lower plasma concentrations of total, essential, branched chain, and non-proteogenic amino acids than the lamb, pasture, or grain-finished beef.

* There were some study design issues, which were unfortunate as otherwise this was an important and interesting paper.