Dietary effects of plant-based meat analog and animal meat on serum metabolism, gut microbiota, and hepatic metabolic pathway in mice

The rising health concerns about red meat have led to increased interest in plant-based diets. High-moisture extrusion processing (HMEP) is a key method for producing plant-based meat analogs (PBMAs), but its health effects are not fully understood due to its extensive thermal and mechanical processing. This study evaluated the health impacts of PBMAs derived from HMEP compared to conventional animal meats through short-term intervention trials. Mice were fed high-fat diets (HFDs) containing soy protein isolate-based meat analog prepared from HMEP (SMA), chicken breast (C), or pork loin (P). Effects on body weight gain suppression, lipid metabolic consequences, gut microbiota composition, and hepatic metabolic pathway in mice were determined. Results indicated that HFD-SMA intake mitigated obesity, improved blood glucose and lipid profiles, and reduced hepatic fat accumulation compared to HFD-C and HFD-P intake. Gut microbiota analysis revealed comparable structures between HFD-SMA and HFD-C groups, with increased anti-obesity bacteria and decreased obesity-inducing bacteria. Liver gene expression analysis highlighted the activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) signaling pathway in HFD-SMA-fed mice. These findings suggested that SMA consumption had beneficial effects on lipid metabolism and gut microbiota compared to animal meat consumption, particularly pork, in HFD-fed mice.