4 ms·

The meatless burgers also remove the flavonoids as part of the processing, removing some of the benefits of eating plants in the first place.

joe-collins 4y ago
Which is a subject worth considering, because it's a more specific claim. At a cursory search, it seems that evidence for notable effect from flavonoids is mixed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoflavone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoflavone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoestrogen#Effects_on_humans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoestrogen#Effects_on_human... And, it sounds like Impossible may have made a conscious decision to minimize isoflavones in their products. They have a page dedicated to discussing the safety of soy, and yes, an Impossible Burger contains "under 2 mg of isoflavones" whereas a "traditional soyfood" of the same mass might contain 25 mg. https://impossiblefoods.com/ca/blog/soy-facts-myths-and-why-its-in-our-new-recipe https://impossiblefoods.com/ca/blog/soy-facts-myths-and-why-... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5188409/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5188409/ This, though, is a much better discussion than simply dismissing them as processed.
h0l0cube 4y ago
> remove the flavonoids … but not all: > one serving contains less than 8% of the isoflavones found in one serving of whole soy foods (one serving is roughly a quarter of a block of tofu or 1 cup of soymilk) Which is still better than 0. The article also doesn’t bother to mention that the meat burgers have substantial cholesterol, while the meatless burgers have none
- commoner 4y ago
  For most people, dietary cholesterol only has a minor effect on blood cholesterol. > The biggest influence on blood cholesterol level is the mix of fats and carbohydrates in your diet—not the amount of cholesterol you eat from food. > The types of fat in the diet help determine the amount of total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream. The types and amount of carbohydrate in the diet also play a role. Cholesterol in food matters, too, but not nearly as much. > The discovery half a century ago that high blood cholesterol levels were strongly associated with an increased risk for heart disease triggered numerous warnings to avoid foods that contain cholesterol, especially eggs and liver. However, scientific studies show a weak relationship between the amount of cholesterol a person consumes and his or her blood cholesterol levels https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/cholesterol/ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you... On the other hand, saturated fat raises blood cholesterol levels (both the desirable HDL and the harmful LDL): https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-truth-about-fats-bad-and-good https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-truth-abo...
  - h0l0cube 4y ago
    Good to know. Thank you

joe-collins 4y ago

Which is a subject worth considering, because it's a more specific claim. At a cursory search, it seems that evidence for notable effect from flavonoids is mixed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoflavone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoflavone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoestrogen#Effects_on_humans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoestrogen#Effects_on_human... And, it sounds like Impossible may have made a conscious decision to minimize isoflavones in their products. They have a page dedicated to discussing the safety of soy, and yes, an Impossible Burger contains "under 2 mg of isoflavones" whereas a "traditional soyfood" of the same mass might contain 25 mg. https://impossiblefoods.com/ca/blog/soy-facts-myths-and-why-its-in-our-new-recipe https://impossiblefoods.com/ca/blog/soy-facts-myths-and-why-... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5188409/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5188409/ This, though, is a much better discussion than simply dismissing them as processed.

h0l0cube 4y ago

> remove the flavonoids … but not all: > one serving contains less than 8% of the isoflavones found in one serving of whole soy foods (one serving is roughly a quarter of a block of tofu or 1 cup of soymilk) Which is still better than 0. The article also doesn’t bother to mention that the meat burgers have substantial cholesterol, while the meatless burgers have none

commoner 4y ago
For most people, dietary cholesterol only has a minor effect on blood cholesterol. > The biggest influence on blood cholesterol level is the mix of fats and carbohydrates in your diet—not the amount of cholesterol you eat from food. > The types of fat in the diet help determine the amount of total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream. The types and amount of carbohydrate in the diet also play a role. Cholesterol in food matters, too, but not nearly as much. > The discovery half a century ago that high blood cholesterol levels were strongly associated with an increased risk for heart disease triggered numerous warnings to avoid foods that contain cholesterol, especially eggs and liver. However, scientific studies show a weak relationship between the amount of cholesterol a person consumes and his or her blood cholesterol levels https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/cholesterol/ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you... On the other hand, saturated fat raises blood cholesterol levels (both the desirable HDL and the harmful LDL): https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-truth-about-fats-bad-and-good https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-truth-abo...
- h0l0cube 4y ago
  Good to know. Thank you