Journal Articles

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Diet affordability: a key dimension in the assessment of sustainable food systems and healthy diets
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2024-08-12) Chungchunlam SMS; Moughan PJ; Raubenheimer D
A promulgated global shift toward a plant-based diet is largely in response to a perceived negative environmental impact of animal food production, but the nutritional adequacy and economic implications of plant-sourced sustainable healthy dietary patterns need to be considered. This paper reviews recent modeling studies using Linear Programming to determine the respective roles of animal- and plant-sourced foods in developing a least-cost diet in the United States and New Zealand. In both economies, least-cost diets were found to include animal-based foods, such as milk, eggs, fish, and seafood, to meet the energy and nutrient requirements of healthy adults at the lowest retail cost. To model a solely plant-based least-cost diet, the prevailing costs of all animal-sourced foods had to be increased by 1.1 to 11.5 times their original retail prices. This led to the inclusion of fortified plant-based foods, such as fortified soymilk, and a plant-based diet that was considerably (34–45%) more costly. The first-limiting essential nutrients were mostly the vitamins and minerals, with special focus on pantothenic acid, zinc, and vitamin B-12, when transitioning from an animal- and plant-containing least-cost diet to a plant-only based least-cost diet. Modeled least-cost diets based on contemporary food costs include animal-sourced foods, at least for developed high-income US and NZ food economies, and potentially for developing low- and middle-income countries, such as Indonesia. Modeling of least-cost diets that consist exclusively of plant-based foods is feasible, but at a higher daily diet cost, and these diets are often close to limiting for several key nutrients. Diet affordability, as a key dimension of sustainable healthy diets, and the respective economic roles of animal- and plant-sourced foods need to be considered.
The Importance of Dietary Protein Quality in Mid- to High-Income Countries
(Elsevier Inc on behalf of American Society for Nutrition, 2024-03) Moughan PJ; Fulgoni VL; Wolfe RR
In wealthy countries, the protein intake of adults is usually considered to be adequate, and considerations of protein quality are often deemed irrelevant. The objective was to examine dietary protein intakes of adults in developed countries in the context of dietary protein quality. An analysis of NHANES population data on actual protein intakes in the United States (a developed country) demonstrated that for a dietary Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS) of 100%, 11% of the adult (19-50 y) population had habitual protein intakes below the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) and 22% below the Recommended Dietary Allowance. The percentage of the population with utilizable protein intakes potentially falling below the EAR increased as the assumed DIAAS declined. Analysis of the NHANES data and several other datasets also indicated that total protein intakes can be limiting or close to limiting for the elderly and some vegetarians and vegans. Here, lower dietary protein quality can potentially lead to inadequate utilizable protein intakes. For many people in specific physiological states (e.g., weight loss, endurance sports, resistance exercise) attempting to meet higher dietary protein targets often with accompanying lowered energy intakes, low dietary protein quality can lead to protein calories expressed as a proportion of total calories, falling outside what may be acceptable limits (maximum of 30% protein calories from total calories). In general, individuals within the adult population may be susceptible to macronutrient imbalance (whenever total protein intakes are high, daily energy intakes low) and for diets with lower protein quality (DIAAS <100%). Our analysis shows that dietary protein quality is relevant in mid- to high-income countries.
The role of meat in the human diet: evolutionary aspects and nutritional value
(Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science, 2023-04-15) Leroy F; Smith NW; Adesogan AT; Beal T; Iannotti L; Moughan PJ; Mann N
Implications Aspects of human anatomy, digestion, and metabolism diverged from other primates, indicating evolutionary reliance on, and compatibility with, substantial meat intake. Implications of a disconnect from evolutionary dietary patterns may contribute to today’s burden of disease, increasing the risk for both nutrient deficiencies and chronic diseases. Meat supplies high-quality protein and various nutrients, some of which are not always easily obtained with meat-free diets and are often already suboptimal or deficient in global populations. Removal of meat comes with implications for a broad spectrum of nutrients that need to be accounted for, whereas compensatory dietary strategies must factor in physiological and practical constraints. Although meat makes up a small part (<10%) of global food mass and energy, it delivers most of the global vitamin B12 intake and plays a substantial role in the supply of other B vitamins, retinol, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, several minerals in bioavailable forms (e.g., iron and zinc), and a variety of bioactive compounds with health-improving potential (e.g., taurine, creatine, and carnosine). As a food matrix, meat is more than the sum of its individual nutrients. Moreover, within the diet matrix, it can serve as a keystone food in food-based dietary interventions to improve nutritional status, especially in regions that rely heavily on cereal staples. Efforts to lower global meat intake for environmental or other reasons beyond a critical threshold may hinder progress towards reducing undernutrition and the effects this has on both physical and cognitive outcomes, and thereby stifle economic development. This is particularly a concern for populations with increased needs and in regions where current meat intake levels are low, which is not only pertinent for the Global South but also of relevance in high-income countries.

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