Getting More Plant Protein May Help Women Avoid Cancer, Diabetes and Other Conditions

• A new study indicates that plant protein is an important factor for healthy aging in women.
• Researchers found that every 3% of daily calories that were derived from plant protein resulted in significant health benefits.
• Other protein sources, like meat and dairy, didn’t share the same robust health benefits.

Plant protein, compared to other animal-based protein sources like dairy and meat, could be essential to healthy aging in women.
Those who eat more plant protein are more likely to be free from chronic disease, physical and mental impairment, and have better mental health as they age, suggests a new study published today in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

“We found that dietary protein intake and in particular plant protein was associated with better health outcomes and healthy aging,” he said.
The effects of diet on aging
Korat and his team analyzed data from more than 48,000 adult women in the United States between 1984 and 2016 to see how the protein makeup of their diet affected health outcomes from middle adulthood into old age.
The women were all part of the Nurses’ Health Study, a longitudinal study in which data was collected through questionnaires about diet, lifestyle, and health. At the beginning of the observation period, the average age of the participants was 48 years old. Their average diet included about 18% daily calories from protein, of which the majority (13%) came from animal protein, while only 5% came from plant protein sources.
Could this dietary information inform whether the participants would experience healthy aging or chronic illness?
Researchers defined “healthy aging” as a composite of factors including being free from 11 chronic diseases, absence of physical and mental impairment, and good mental health.

The 11 diseases noted were:

• Cancer (except for nonmelanoma skin cancer)
• Type 2 diabetes
• Cardiovascular diseases including heart attack and heart failure
• Stroke
• Kidney failure
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Parkinson disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Between 2014-2016, participants in the Nurses’ Health Study were assessed for the presence of these 11 diseases. They also underwent physical function, subjective memory, and mental health assessments.
Of the initial group of women, 3,721 (about 7%) met the definition for healthy aging.
How to incorporate more plant protein in your diet
If you want to make plant protein a bigger part of your diet, you don’t have to become a vegetarian or vegan. In fact you’re already likely consuming some amount of plant protein in your diet. Incorporating more plant protein means learning about high quality sources of plant protein and finding ways to make them a larger part of your diet.

Rich sources of plant protein include:

• Black beans
• Quinoa
• Tofu
• Edamame (soy beans)
• Lentils
• Oats
• Pea protein powder
• Peanut butter
• Nuts