Swapping meat for mycoprotein may protect against bowel cancer

Northumbria University researchers have found that swapping red and processed meat for Quorn’s mycoprotein, a fungi-based meat alternative, leads to a significant reduction in intestinal genotoxins — which can cause bowel cancer — and increases healthy gut bacteria.

Their study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, explored the effects of replacing a high red and processed meat intake with mycoprotein on the levels of cancer-causing genotoxins, found in the intestines, as well as the impact on gut health.

The randomised clinical trial followed 20 healthy male adults aged 18–50 and was split into two distinct phases. The meat phase saw participants consume 240 g of red and processed meat — including beef steak, pork sausages and ham slices — each day for a two-week period. For the mycoprotein phase, they consumed the same weight in fungi-derived mycoprotein equivalents over a separate two-week period, with a ‘washout’ period of four weeks between the two phases.

Analysis of stool and urine samples from the mycoprotein phase revealed that levels of detected genotoxins like nitroso compounds (NOC) and p-cresol — chemical contaminants that have been found to be potential cancer risk markers — were significantly reduced. Conversely, results from the meat phase showed that genotoxin levels had risen, potentially increasing the long-term risk of bowel cancer. The difference between the meat and mycoprotein phases was statistically significant.

As well as delivering significant reductions in harmful genotoxins, the mycoprotein diet was also found to significantly improve gut health, increasing the abundance of protective bacteria such as Lactobacilli, Roseburia and Akkermansia, which are associated with offering protection against chemically induced tumours, inflammation and bowel cancer. In contrast, findings from the meat phase revealed an increase in gut bacteria linked with issues such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, weight gain and other negative health outcomes.

“Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with more than 40,000 new cases each year, and data consistently associates red and processed meat consumption with increasing people’s risk,” said lead researcher Dr Daniel Commane, Associate Professor in Nutritional Sciences at Northumbria University.

“As previous studies had identified that reasons for this enhanced risk include the fact that meat increases genotoxicity and, potentially, reduces fibre intake due to it commonly displacing plant foods, we wanted to explore the impact of switching meat for the fungi-based mycoprotein when it came to bowel cancer risk.

“The study showed that this dietary change delivers a significant reduction in genotoxicity and an increase in beneficial gut microbes. Our findings suggest therefore that this high-fibre protein source provides a good alternative to meat in the context of gut health and could help to reduce long-term bowel cancer risk.”

The trial was investigator blind, meaning the researchers did not know which group had which diet, and participants were screened for any gastrointestinal diseases or use of medication that might affect their gut/intestine, along with other conditions like coronary artery disease and diabetes. Participants were also asked to avoid consuming any other meat or mycoprotein products other than the supplied study foods, as well as any additional high protein, fibre or probiotic supplements, during the trial.

“This latest study adds to the growing body of evidence that the nutritious protein source that is mycoprotein offers substantial health benefits, protecting against a range of diseases and conditions,” said Tim Finnigan, Scientific Advisor for Quorn Foods.

“With official dietary advice encouraging everyone to consume less meat to improve the health of people and our planet, alternatives such as Quorn’s mycoprotein, which has an excellent nutrition profile, being high in protein and fibre, low in saturated fat and free from trans-fat and cholesterol, is really important. While many meat alternatives are plant-based, mycoprotein is fungi-based, which, emerging evidence suggests, brings a range of additional benefits to metabolic health.”

Image courtesy of Quorn.