In France, about 50% of total protein intake should be animal-based to meet nutritional recommendations on non-protein nutrients according to age and sex

Nutritional recommendations for a sustainable and healthy diet include plenty of variety in the consumption of minimally processed plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, nuts, unrefined grains, legumes, etc.) and moderate amounts of animal food sources. This study provides factual information on the contribution of animal protein to total protein meeting all recommendations without additional cost. It shows that it varies between 45% and 60% of animal protein depending on the group of adults considered.

Higher consumption of plant-based foods has historically been associated with beneficial health outcomes, while excessive consumption of red meat and processed meat is often discouraged by public health nutritional guidelines. This study recalls that:

• Meat has a higher protein content per kilocalorie than plant-based foods, and switching to plant-based diets and less meat will inevitably reduce both total dietary protein and animal protein contributions to protein total.
• Animal protein has a more balanced essential amino acid profile and a greater digestibility than plant protein, while plant protein is generally described as being of lower quality than animal protein. However, for the majority of people in Western countries, who are generally omnivores, the risk of insufficient protein intake is low and is little influenced by the intake of animal protein in the diet. However, caution is needed in the elderly as they have higher protein requirements than other adults (estimated at 1 g/kg for adults over 65 and 0.83 g/kg for younger adults). Thus, for French adults aged 65 and over, a higher risk of frailty has been observed for protein intakes below 1 g/kg of body weight, independently of energy intake.
• Animal-based foods provide nutrients not found in plant sources (such as vitamins D and B12 and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids), found in small amounts (for example, vitamin B6 and riboflavin), or found in less bioavailable forms (e.g., iron and zinc). However, the plant-based foods are unique sources of fiber, folate, vitamins E and C, and other antioxidants.
• Also, diets with lots of plant-based foods are not necessarily more affordable than diets with more animal-based foods. More generally, food budget constraints are important determinants of food choices, and healthy food choices tend to be more expensive than unhealthy choices.

Thus, the trend towards a more plant-based diet, as advocated in Western countries, will reduce the contribution of animal proteins to total proteins. Such a reduction can not only affect the adequacy of proteins, but also the adequacy of other nutrients.

This recent study determined, for different French adult subpopulations, the minimum level of total protein and the minimum contribution of animal protein to total protein meeting all recommendations based on non-protein nutrients. The data (average nutritional intake and average cost of food) on 5 sub-populations were estimated using a representative French cross-sectional survey: Women < 50 years old (subgroup A), Women 50-64 years old (subgroup B), Women ≥ 65 years old (subgroup C), Men < 65 years old (subgroup D), Men ≥ 65 years old (subgroup E). It was shown that:

• The minimum amount of protein meeting dietary recommendations was lower than the minimum recommended protein intake for all subpopulations except subgroup A. For women and men over 65 (C and E), decreasing the contribution of animal protein to total protein to less than 55% and 60% respectively led to protein levels below recommended levels.
• For the other subpopulations (A, B and D), the lowest contribution of animal protein to total protein consistent with a nutritionally adequate diet (including protein adequacy) was 55%, 50% and 45%, respectively.

To learn more, the study is available at this link.

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