Role of the Protein Matrix in the Anabolic Response to a Ground Beef Patty as Opposed to the Impossible (Vegi-) Burger

Protein Metabolism

Several of the investigator's recent studies have shown that all dietary proteins are not equal when it comes to making proteins in human bodies. Generally, foods made from animal muscle tissue are much more efficient at making new proteins in the body that those from plant sources. This study will measure the amount of protein growth in participants after consuming either one beef patty, one vegi-burger, or two vegi-burgers. By using stable isotope infusions and collecting blood and leg muscle samples, the investigator's lab can determine the rate of muscle metabolism that happens after a participant eats a protein-containing food. The investigator wants to determine if the vegi-burger is as efficient as the beef patty at creating proteins in a participants. The investigator will measure this metabolism over a 10-hour period, with the food being eaten at the 4 hour mark. The investigator plans to perform this procedure on up to 8 participants per food option (24 total).

According to the USDA Economic Research Service Food Availability Data, beef consumption has been on a general decline for the past 40 years, with current per capita consumption approximately 35% lower in 2020 than in 1980. Some of this decline over the past few years can be attributed to politically motivated claims that carbon emissions from cattle represent a major threat to the global environment. However, the major reason for declining beef consumption is the widely promulgated claim that beef is unhealthy. The hamburger in particular has become a poster child for the notion that beef consumption is responsible for the increasing occurrence of obesity in the United States. The trend of decreasing beef consumption due to perceived health concerns, particularly obesity and associated health problems, has led major fast-food chains such as Burger King and McDonalds, to offer vegetarian burgers as healthy alternatives to the traditional beef burger. However, examination of the components of the macronutrient matrix of a typical vegetarian burger gives reason to question the health benefits as compared to a traditional beef patty-hamburger.

United States

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