Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022 Nov 16;21(1):69.
doi: 10.1186/s12937-022-00820-x.

SWAP-MEAT Athlete (study with appetizing plant-food, meat eating alternatives trial) - investigating the impact of three different diets on recreational athletic performance: a randomized crossover trial

Aubrey K Roberts  1 , Vincent Busque  2 , Jennifer L Robinson  2 , Matthew J Landry  2 , Christopher D Gardner  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

SWAP-MEAT Athlete (study with appetizing plant-food, meat eating alternatives trial) - investigating the impact of three different diets on recreational athletic performance: a randomized crossover trial

Aubrey K Roberts et al. Nutr J. .

Abstract

Background: Plant-based diets are known to be beneficial for cardiovascular health and promote environmental sustainability. However, many athletes avoid plant-based diets due to concerns of protein inadequacy.

Objectives: To investigate the impact of two predominately plant-based diets-whole food plant-based (WFPB) and plant-based meat alternatives (PBMA)-vs. an omnivorous diet, favoring red meat and poultry (Animal), on endurance and muscular strength.

Methods: 12 recreational runners and 12 resistance trainers were assigned to three diets-WFPB, PBMA, and Animal-for 4 weeks each, in random order. Primary outcomes for runners (12-minute timed run) and resistance trainers (composite machine strength) were collected at baseline and after diets, along with secondary performance outcomes and dietary data.

Results: 22 recreational athletes completed the study (age: 26.2 ± 4.4 years; sex: 10 female, 12 male; BMI: 23.1 ± 2.4 kg/m2). Mean differences in 12-minute timed run - WFPB vs. Animal (- 23.4 m; 95% CI: - 107 to 60.0 m) and PBMA vs. Animal (- 2.9 m; 95% CI: - 119 to 113 m) - were not significant. Mean percent differences in composite machine strength - WFPB vs. Animal (- 2.7%; 95% CI: - 5.8 to 0.4% and PBMA vs. Animal (- 0.7%; 95% CI: - 3.5 to 2.2%) - were not significant. Average protein intake for all diets met International Society for Sports Nutrition recommendations.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest recreational athletes can maintain athletic performance on both an omnivorous diet and two diets that are predominately plant-based.

Trial registration: NCT05472701. Retrospectively registered.

Keywords: Athletic performance; Plant-based diet; Plant-based meat alternatives; Sports performance; Whole food plant-based diet.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Dr. Christopher D. Gardner acknowledges that he has received previous funding from Beyond Meat in the past. However, the present study was not affiliated with Beyond Meat. No external funding was received. All authors report no conflicts of interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Participant flow for the SWAP-MEAT athlete study
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Comparison of Macronutrient Intake (g/kg/day) to International Society for Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommendations. ISSN recommendations for athletes of general fitness, moderate, and high volume and intensity correspond to protein intake of 0.8-1.2 g/kg/day, 1.2-2.0 g/kg/day, and 1.7-2.2 g/kg/day and carbohydrate intake of 3-5 g/kg/day, 5-8 g/kg/day, and 8-10 g/kg/day respectively [18]. Note that moderate and high volume and intensity recommendations overlap for protein intake. Gray areas denote ranges below or above ISSN recommendations for any fitness volume and intensity
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Mendoza-Vasconez AS, Landry MJ, Crimarco A, Bladier C, Gardner CD. Sustainable diets for cardiovascular disease prevention and management. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2021;23(7):31. doi: 10.1007/s11883-021-00929-0. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Willett W, Rockström J, Loken B, Springmann M, Lang T, Vermeulen S, et al. Food in the anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Lancet. 2019;393(10170):447–492. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kim H, Caulfield LE, Garcia-Larsen V, Steffen LM, Coresh J, Rebholz CM. Plant-based diets are associated with a lower risk of incident cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular disease mortality, and all-cause mortality in a general population of middle-aged adults. J Am Heart Assoc. 2019;8(16):e012865. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.119.012865. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Satija A, Hu FB. Plant-based diets and cardiovascular health. Trends Cardiovasc Med. 2018;28(7):437–441. doi: 10.1016/j.tcm.2018.02.004. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Xu X, Sharma P, Shu S, Lin TS, Ciais P, Tubiello FN, et al. Global greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based foods are twice those of plant-based foods. Nat Food. 2021;2(9):724–732. doi: 10.1038/s43016-021-00358-x. - DOI

Publication types

Substances

Associated data

LinkOut - more resources

-