Can the Substitution of Milk with Plant-Based Drinks Affect Health-Related Markers? A Systematic Review of Human Intervention Studies in Adults

Overview

Journal Nutrients

Date 2023 Jun 10

PMID 37299566

Authors

Paola Biscotti

Cristian Del Bo

Catarina Carvalho

Duarte Torres

Emmanuelle Reboul

Beatrice Pellegrini

Valentina Vinelli

Angela Polito

Laura Censi

Marisa Porrini

Daniela Martini

Patrizia Riso

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The consumption of plant-based drinks (PBDs) in substitution for cow's milk (CM) is increasing due to concerns for human and planet health and animal welfare. The present review aims to analyze the main findings from intervention trials investigating the effect of PBDs in comparison with CM on markers of human health. Suitable articles published up to July 2022 were sourced from PubMed and Scopus databases. A total of 29 papers were collected, with 27 focusing on soy drinks (1 of which also evaluated the effects of an almond drink), while only 2 focused on rice drinks. Among studies focused on soy drinks, the most investigated factors were anthropometric parameters ( = 13), the lipid profile ( = 8), markers of inflammation and/or oxidative stress ( = 7), glucose and insulin responses ( = 6) and blood pressure ( = 4). Despite some evidence of a beneficial effect of PBDs, especially for the lipid profile, it was not possible to draw any overall conclusions due to some conflicting results. As well as the low number of studies, a wide heterogeneity was found in terms of the characteristics of subjects, duration and markers, which reduces the strength of the available results. In conclusion, further studies are needed to better elucidate the effects of substituting CM with PBDs, especially in the long term.

Citing Articles

Yu X, He H, Wen J, Xu X, Ruan Z, Hu R Open Med (Wars). 2025; 20(1):20241091.

PMID: 39822993 PMC: 11737369. DOI: 10.1515/med-2024-1091.

Effects of Replacing Cow's Milk with Plant-Based Beverages on Potential Nutrient Intake in Sustainable Healthy Dietary Patterns: A Case Study.

Biscotti P, Tucci M, Angelino D, Vinelli V, Pellegrini N, Del Bo C Nutrients. 2024; 16(18).

PMID: 39339683 PMC: 11434795. DOI: 10.3390/nu16183083.

Impact of Substituting Meats with Plant-Based Analogues on Health-Related Markers: A Systematic Review of Human Intervention Studies.

Del Bo C, Chehade L, Tucci M, Canclini F, Riso P, Martini D Nutrients. 2024; 16(15).

PMID: 39125378 PMC: 11314210. DOI: 10.3390/nu16152498.

References

Fournier L, Ryan Borchers T, Robison L, Wiediger M, Park J, Chew B . The effects of soy milk and isoflavone supplements on cognitive performance in healthy, postmenopausal women. J Nutr Health Aging. 2007; 11(2):155-64. View

Beavers K, Serra M, Beavers D, Cooke M, Willoughby D . Soymilk supplementation does not alter plasma markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in postmenopausal women. Nutr Res. 2009; 29(9):616-22. DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2009.09.002. View

Iguacel I, Miguel-Berges M, Gomez-Bruton A, Moreno L, Julian C . Veganism, vegetarianism, bone mineral density, and fracture risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Rev. 2018; 77(1):1-18. DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nuy045. View

Faghih S, Abadi A, Hedayati M, Kimiagar S . Comparison of the effects of cows' milk, fortified soy milk, and calcium supplement on weight and fat loss in premenopausal overweight and obese women. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2010; 21(7):499-503. DOI: 10.1016/j.numecd.2009.11.013. View

Sun L, Tan K, Siow P, Henry C . Soya milk exerts different effects on plasma amino acid responses and incretin hormone secretion compared with cows' milk in healthy, young men. Br J Nutr. 2016; 116(7):1216-1221. DOI: 10.1017/S0007114516003214. View

Shen P, Walker G, Yuan Y, Reynolds C, Stanton D, Fernando J . Effects of soy and bovine milk beverages on enamel mineral content in a randomized, double-blind in situ clinical study. J Dent. 2019; 88:103160. DOI: 10.1016/j.jdent.2019.06.007. View

Schiano A, Nishku S, Racette C, Drake M . Parents' implicit perceptions of dairy milk and plant-based milk alternatives. J Dairy Sci. 2022; 105(6):4946-4960. DOI: 10.3168/jds.2021-21626. View

Munekata P, Dominguez R, Budaraju S, Rosello-Soto E, Barba F, Mallikarjunan K . Effect of Innovative Food Processing Technologies on the Physicochemical and Nutritional Properties and Quality of Non-Dairy Plant-Based Beverages. Foods. 2020; 9(3). PMC: 7142651. DOI: 10.3390/foods9030288. View

Ratajczak A, Zawada A, Rychter A, Dobrowolska A, Krela-Kazmierczak I . Milk and Dairy Products: Good or Bad for Human Bone? Practical Dietary Recommendations for the Prevention and Management of Osteoporosis. Nutrients. 2021; 13(4). PMC: 8072827. DOI: 10.3390/nu13041329. View

10.

Roth G, Mensah G, Johnson C, Addolorato G, Ammirati E, Baddour L . Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risk Factors, 1990-2019: Update From the GBD 2019 Study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020; 76(25):2982-3021. PMC: 7755038. DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2020.11.010. View

11.

Beavers K, Serra M, Beavers D, Cooke M, Willoughby D . Soy and the exercise-induced inflammatory response in postmenopausal women. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2010; 35(3):261-9. DOI: 10.1139/H10-015. View

12.

Serra M, Beavers K, Beavers D, Willoughby D . Effects of 28 days of dairy or soy ingestion on skeletal markers of inflammation and proteolysis in post-menopausal women. Nutr Health. 2013; 21(2):117-30. DOI: 10.1177/0260106012467243. View

13.

Singhal S, Baker R, Baker S . A Comparison of the Nutritional Value of Cow's Milk and Nondairy Beverages. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2016; 64(5):799-805. DOI: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000001380. View

14.

Yousef M, Kamel K, Esmail A, Baghdadi H . Antioxidant activities and lipid lowering effects of isoflavone in male rabbits. Food Chem Toxicol. 2004; 42(9):1497-503. DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2004.04.012. View

15.

Gui J, Brasic J, Liu X, Gong G, Zhang G, Liu C . Bone mineral density in postmenopausal Chinese women treated with calcium fortification in soymilk and cow's milk. Osteoporos Int. 2012; 23(5):1563-70. DOI: 10.1007/s00198-012-1895-z. View

16.

Silva A, Silva M, Ribeiro B . Health issues and technological aspects of plant-based alternative milk. Food Res Int. 2020; 131:108972. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2019.108972. View

17.

Comerford K, Miller G, Boileau A, Masiello Schuette S, Giddens J, Brown K . Global Review of Dairy Recommendations in Food-Based Dietary Guidelines. Front Nutr. 2021; 8:671999. PMC: 8186461. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2021.671999. View

18.

Menzel J, Abraham K, Stangl G, Ueland P, Obeid R, Schulze M . Vegan Diet and Bone Health-Results from the Cross-Sectional RBVD Study. Nutrients. 2021; 13(2). PMC: 7924854. DOI: 10.3390/nu13020685. View

19.

Walther B, Guggisberg D, Badertscher R, Egger L, Portmann R, Dubois S . Comparison of nutritional composition between plant-based drinks and cow's milk. Front Nutr. 2022; 9:988707. PMC: 9650290. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.988707. View

20.

Rizzoli R . Dairy products and bone health. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2021; 34(1):9-24. PMC: 8794967. DOI: 10.1007/s40520-021-01970-4. View