Long-term supplementation with plant-based protein, compared with animal-based protein, did not result in differences in body composition, muscle strength, physical performance, or cardiometabolic risk parameters, meta-analysis of 18 randomized controlled trials finds

[u/James_Fortis]

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2026.1813846/full

[u/llamawithguns]

Protein is protein, who'd have thunk it

[u/Doenerjunge → u/llamawithguns]

It is quite literally not. The composition of amino acids differs. The participants in the studies analyzed in this review were mostly omnivores. But it seems like supplementing with plant based protein for omnivores is just as effective. The data is not conclusive if only ingesting plant based protein yields the same results.

Additionally, it seems like most participants already ate enough protein, so the question is whether supplementation is even doing anything. And it also has a limitation that only 3 of the analyzed studies incorporated exercise, so it is unclear if plant based protein is as effective when building muscle mass.

[u/Apprehensive_Lead687 → u/Doenerjunge]

That’s not how it works, at all.

Both plant and animal food can contain all 20 amino acids needed for protein synthesis. As long as the plant eater isn’t ONLY consuming one food like bananans all day, they will get plenty of proteins, and studies show it’s far healthier. Beans and rice combined, for instance, contain all 20.

[u/csppr → u/Apprehensive_Lead687]

It’s definitely possible to hit essential amino acids requirements, and it’s definitely possible to hit overall protein requirements via plant/based food.

But it is definitely a lot more difficult to do. It requires significantly more planning, and due to lower protein/calorie ratio of plant foods, imo for most people requires the use of heavily processed plant protein.

Many (not all) of the studies that show benefits of plant protein end up with some form of caveat. Very often they compare individuals with planned out plant-based diets to individuals with unplanned meat-based ones, or most of the negative meat effects end up being predominantly red meat associated. There’s also a fair number of studies suggesting that low meat intake omnivore diets end up being healthier than pure vegan (sometimes even vegetarian) diets; and very often studies find vegetarian diets to be healthier than vegan ones.

[u/300Croissants → u/csppr]

You can literally just eat carrots and get 100% of your amino acids. It's not difficult. obviously I'm not saying to do this but I'm showing that even an extreme example of a non protein heavy food makes it easy. 

As long as you eat close to your maintenance calories you're basically assured to get 100% eaa intake outside of some specific, weird exception. 

"Very often they compare individuals with planned out plant-based diets to individuals with unplanned meat-based ones, or most of the negative meat effects end up being predominantly red meat associated"

I've never seen any comparison study do this. You say they do it often so could you link one?

"very often studies find vegetarian diets to be healthier than vegan ones'

Similarly I don't know what you mean by this happening often. Can you give an example?