Some battles are lost before they begin. For years we have supported Ukraine with money and equipment, and little progress has been made on either side of the war with Russia. Our support of Ukraine managed a stalemate at best, and depleted our armament stockpile in the process. Now there is talk that the only peace will come if Ukraine is willing to give up areas Russia has already conquered: the Crimean Peninsula and significant portions of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. Ukraine is still talking tough, that they will give up no territory, but there is diminishing American desire to even keep the stalemate going, much less to ramp up the war to maybe push Russia back without their resorting to nuclear arms in the process. The battle for Ukraine to keep its old borders is likely a lost cause.
Some health opinion battles are stalemates at best. There is a massive popular belief that we all need more protein, especially for those attempting to build muscle. Since the average American is getting more than enough protein (around twice as much as is recommended even by U.S. Dietary Guidelines), and excess protein can be a health risk, it is a noble battle to get people to back off the protein craze. Despite warnings that too much protein loads the kidneys and can lead to failure, people feel that they need more to keep their muscles strong. Despite autophagy, a potent self-cleaning and life-extending process of recycling damaged proteins by a body that is a bit hungry for more protein, people fear muscle wasting because muscles are a ready source of protein when needed. And studies do show that protein absorption diminishes somewhat with age, so there are concerns that people need to eat more protein as they age to compensate, ignoring the fact that many of those same Americans are already getting more than enough protein from their protein-rich diets to cover that loss. And they are sold on the idea that certain amino acids, mainly the essential aminos that the body can’t manufacture on its own, are worth supplementing, not recognizing that those aminos are usually needed in lower quantities by the body because the final complete protein that it builds from the aminos normally uses less of these essentials — proteins do not require the same amount of each amino acid to construct the final product, and essential amino acids are carefully conserved by the body. We can make all these arguments to keep people from overloading on protein, but most are still wanting the promised benefits of more protein that the popular beliefs are promoting.
The peace deal
But there is a way to make everyone happy. More than happy, in fact. Animal protein carries with it many negatives, not only because it brings with it the animal’s stored toxins, but because it can override your body’s guard rails. For instance, the form of iron in red meat (heme iron) keeps being absorbed into your body even when you already have plenty of iron, leading to excess iron levels due to a buildup of ferritin, which is a protein that stores iron for future use. However, plant nutrients are offered to your body but generally not forced upon it. Plant protein is similar — the plants provide the amino acids necessary to build the proteins your body needs, but the excess acids are easily shed without overloading your body in the process. Plant amino acids tend to conserve the essential aminos in ratios similar to the way your body conserves them, and studies have shown significant health risk with high levels of certain essentials: glutamine, arginine, asparagine, and methionine in particular. Animal tissue has concentrated the essentials, and when you hear someone say that meat provides “complete protein”, you can expect that the essentials, including the potentially harmful ones, are present in excess of what your body requires. Plants are perfect compliments to your body, giving you just what you need, especially when you combine the plant foods: a variety of seeds and nuts along with green leafy vegetables can provide you with all the amino acids to meet your protein needs.
So let’s assume that you need more protein in your diet for your health. Perhaps you are exercising a lot, and you know that exercise breaks down your muscles and you need protein to replenish that muscle mass. Don’t forget that the breakdown of muscle tissue results in separation of the muscle protein into amino acids, which become available to your body for reuse. But the process loses some protein to excretion, so a greater protein intake might be helpful with greater exercise. Or, you are getting older and you heard that older bodies process dietary protein less efficiently, so you want more to compensate. It is true that your protein metabolism decreases with age to some degree. There are plenty of studies out there touting the need for greater dietary protein intake for older adults, such as one published in Nutrients. Here we are told by researchers that the loss of ability for protein synthesis can reach as high as 50% for the elderly (80 years and above).(1) This is usually due to severe malabsorption in the intestinal tract which tends to increase with age. This doesn’t usually mean more protein is required, but the right protein in the right digestible form is needed. And if they were going to eat more protein, it must be plant protein to maintain longevity.
We are assuming in both cases that you are not one of the majority of Americans who is already getting way too much protein in your diet. So how will you get this extra protein — from plants or animals? The previous research did not address this, and most of the claims you hear about the greater need for protein does not consider the source of the protein. Yet the health impacts of animal products compared with plant sources is so significant that this should get much more attention. When researchers compare animal versus plant protein from a health perspective, the plant protein is a clear winner. Consider research published in Topics in Clinical Nutrition: in this review study the researchers compared animal versus plant protein intake in terms of cardiovascular risk (CVD), cancer risk, and all-cause mortality (which takes into account less well defined, less clear cut, but still significant health impacts).(2) They reviewed results from 28 individual studies. Their conclusion? “Plant protein was inversely associated with the risk of all-cause and CVD mortality. Increasing plant protein intake has positive implications for longevity.” This was not true for animal protein — only plant protein.
Plants are at the root of longevity
Separate studies have shown that the overall health benefits of plant-based diets, especially in reducing cancer risk, are massive. Vegans and near-vegans are sometimes referred to as “health nuts”, because they are putting forth extra effort to be healthy. Plant-based vegan diets work. And research supports this. Here is the consensus of research studies of the effects of a predominantly plant diet on lifespan:
- Young adults in their 20s can expect to add 10 to 13 years to their lifespans by switching to and sticking with a plant-based diet.
- Those starting in their 60s can still expect an average increase of around 8 years.
- Someone starting plant based at 80 could expect an average of a 3 year increase.
Each year that you avoid the toxins of animal products, increase the fiber that plants provide, take advantage of the naturally higher vitamin and mineral content of plant foods, get the alkalinity boost of plants instead of the acidification of animal products, and get the better amino acid ratios of plants — each year builds the foundation of your body which helps you in later years. A study published in PLOS Medicine concludes that “prolonged changes” from the typical Western diet heavy in processed meats to a diet rich in plant seeds, nuts, and vegetables can translate to more than a decade of lifespan, especially when started early.(3)
Turn off the heat
Now you take this up another notch: instead of just any plant-based food, you partake of raw, fresh, low sugar vegetables, seeds and nuts. You get the maximum nutrients in their best form. You avoid the food processing that destroys nutrients, and skip the cooking that kills the enzymes while denaturing the food. The Mediterranean Diet is consistently listed as the best diet for promoting longevity, but the “Green Mediterranean Diet” tops even the standard version by choosing the best of the best versions of the diet’s foods.
Perhaps you need more protein; perhaps you don’t. But if you eat a good mix of plants to balance out the amino acids, you get all of the benefits without the downsides. Only plant protein is inversely related to mortality risk; only plants increase longevity. It’s that simple. You won’t overdose on protein (or much of anything else for that matter) with a balanced plant diet. Balanced plant protein supports muscle gain as well as does animal protein, as shown in a study published in The Journal of Nutrition. “The results demonstrated comparable increases in muscle mass and strength in response to both diets, with no significant differences between the two.”(4) Plant protein is as good as any protein, but without the downside problems, and with all the other nutrient benefits that plants bring. You can have it all: strength, health and longevity. It’s not a lost battle. Oh, don’t forget the exercise — otherwise you have the building blocks you need for strength building, but your body won’t trouble itself to use them. Sorry, you still have to do the work!
Dr. Nemec’s Review
Protein is the building blocks of all the cells. It is vital for enzyme formation, hormone production, and neurotransmitter production. With something this important, more must be better just to play it safe, you would think? But you would think wrong!
The double-edged sword
All the good things that protein does — and it is absolutely vital for your health like so many other molecules in your body — have a very controlled range. This range is where optimal health is: if you go below it you suffer; if you go above it, you suffer even more. More is not better when it comes to protein: you need the right amount, no more, no less. This is because protein is acidic to the body: it’s made of amino acids, which are acidic. The body’s metabolism and biochemistry works in an alkalinity environment and disease grows in acidity, so we don’t want too much, just the right amount, because excess means two things:
- Acidity — which very much is the root of most disease. If you’re looking for vitality, strength, energy, and longevity, then you cannot be acidic at the cellular level. This causes premature aging and premature death. It causes dysfunction in every organ, gland, and tissue in the body. This does not lead to longevity. The kidneys are your primary pH-balancing organ, meaning they get rid of the excess acid — so if your diet is high in protein, high in amino acids, then it is high in acid and that acid has to be turned into alkalinity in your kidneys. This causes great continual stress on your kidneys and can lead to kidney disease, which could eventually lead to kidney dialysis.
- Cancer formation. Glutamine, arginine, asparagine, and methionine: these amino acids are key players in metabolic processes that cancer cells utilize for growth, survival, and proliferation. Glycine, serine, and leucine, are also implicated in cancer development and progression.
Glutamine?
This amino acid is a primary source of energy for many cancer cells and is involved in the synthesis of nucleotides, a key component of DNA and RNA, which are essential for cell division and growth. What makes glutamine even worse is it can be used as a fuel source and a protein source in rapid cancer cell growth. Also, this is a double negative — so not only is it the main amino acid for growth of cellular structure, but it’s also used quite readily to fuel the growth. Glutamine and methionine are found in great abundance in animal protein.
The clear winner: plant protein
So if you want to live a long life, a healthy life, and an optimized life; if you want vitality in your 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond — now is the time to switch to a plant-based protein diet. The research proves it. You will live a longer life; you will live a higher quality life along with the higher quantity. Your health span will equal your lifespan, which will be maximized. It does no good to live older with more disease and degeneration — that’s the purpose of health span. It means all the days of your life are healthy active days — not just another day in pain and misery with dysfunction and disease.
The Topics in Clinical Nutrition article published this year, which reviewed 28 other clinical studies on the topic of protein, says it all: “Plant protein was inversely associated with the risk of all-cause and CVD mortality.” This means the more you eat, the less the risk, that’s what inverse means, so if you want to eat some extra protein, then it absolutely must be plant protein because you’ll still live longer.
Sometimes in life, we believe the general consensus that has passed down to us by the media, and in regards to protein, it’s always been “more is better”, which research has proven is not true unless the more you eat comes from plant sources and not animal sources.
Where does the elephant get his protein from?
What about the gorilla?
How about the rhinoceros?
Isn’t it time to start eating for the rest of your life?
(1) Baum JI, Kim IY, Wolfe RR. Protein Consumption and the Elderly: What Is the Optimal Level of Intake? Nutrients. 2016 Jun 8;8(6):359. doi: 10.3390/nu8060359. PMID: 27338461; PMCID: PMC4924200. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4924200
(2) Yang, Hui-li MD; Yang, Xiao-rong MD. Associations of Total Protein, Animal Protein, and Plant Protein With the Risk of All-Cause, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. Topics in Clinical Nutrition 40(2):p 110-128, April/June 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/TIN.0000000000000384, https://journals.lww.com/topicsinclinicalnutrition/abstract/2025/04000/associations_of_total_protein,_animal_protein,_and.3.aspx
(3) Fadnes LT, Økland J-M, Haaland ØA, Johansson KA (2022) Estimating impact of food choices on life expectancy: A modeling study. PLoS Med 19(2): e1003889. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003889 pmid:35134067, https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003889
(4) Alistair J. Monteyne, Mariana O.C. Coelho, Andrew J. Murton, Doaa R. Abdelrahman, Jamie R. Blackwell, Christopher P. Koscien, Karen M. Knapp, Jonathan Fulford, Tim J.A. Finnigan, Marlou L. Dirks, Francis B. Stephens, Benjamin T. Wall, Vegan and Omnivorous High Protein Diets Support Comparable Daily Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis Rates and Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy in Young Adults, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 153, Issue 6, 2023, Pages 1680-1695, ISSN 0022-3166, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.02.023. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316623126800)
