261 Complementarity of meat and meat substitutes in human diets.

Abstract

The role of animal-sourced foods (ASF) in healthy human diets is increasingly scrutinized. The objective of this study was to explore how diets varying in protein content and protein source (ASF vs substitutes) varied in their ability to support balanced dietary nutrient profiles. Data on nutritional composition of foods were obtained from USDA FoodData Central. Foods were categorized as meats and meat substitutes (types included: Lamb, veal, and game products; finfish and shellfish products; pork products; legumes and legume products; nuts and seed products; beef products) or other dietary components (types included: vegetables and vegetable products; fruits and fruit juices; cereal grains and pasta; dairy and egg products). A total of 3,855 foods were considered. From these foods, 500,000 dietary scenarios were generated. Adapted from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans serving recommendations, each scenario consisted of 3 servings of vegetables, 2 servings of fruits, 2 servings of meats or meat substitutes, 2 servings of grains, and 2 servings of dairy/eggs. The specific food items to meet these serving targets were randomly selected in each scenario from the full set of foods within each respective category. In each scenario, the expected food intake and dietary composition of energy and nutrients was calculated and evaluated relative to the nutrient requirements of an adult human. Data were analyzed using Bayesian networks trained for each nutrient of interest based on the simulated scenario results. Nodes included binary categorical variables reflecting the inclusion of different meat or meat substitute types, continuous variables reflecting the amount of food consumed, the protein as a percent of energy intake, and a binary response variable reflecting the adequacy of diet for the nutrient of interest. For each network, the conditional probabilities of the diet being adequate given use of each meat or meat substitute type and low (protein < 18.5% of energy intake), moderate (protein 18.5 to 26.6% of energy intake) or high (protein >26.6% of energy intake) protein levels were calculated. The inclusion of meats in the diet increased the probability of adequate intake of essential amino acids, iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and B6, particularly in diets with low protein as a percent of energy. The inclusion of meat substitutes supported adequate intake of fiber, linoleic acid, magnesium, potassium, and folate, showing high complementarity with meats. These data reinforce the nutritional complementarity of meat and meat substitutes, and suggest that protein source is less impactful on nutrient adequacy when diets are high in protein.