The Study
Protein intake and cardiovascular diseases: an umbrella review of systematic reviews for the evidence-based guideline on protein intake of the German Nutrition Society
This study looked at lots of other studies that watched people’s eating habits over time and saw if they got heart disease. It didn’t change what people ate — it just watched. So it can tell us if people who eat more protein tend to have more or less heart disease, but it can’t prove that protein itself is the reason.
Analysis score
Maximum 85 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
Scientists looked at many big studies to see if eating more protein—whether from meat or plants—makes heart disease more or less likely.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 553 / 100
Quality score
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of cohort studies. They sit above a single cohort study but below a single randomized trial, because the underlying evidence is still observational.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1This means simply eating more or less protein—no matter the source—isn’t likely to make a big difference in your heart disease risk.
- 2Over 250,000 people studied for up to 32 years: eating more total or plant protein didn’t raise or lower heart disease risk.
- 3Animal protein also didn’t link to heart disease, but data was too mixed to be sure for stroke and overall heart disease.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
European Journal of Nutrition
Year
2025
Authors
S. Egert, A. M. Amini, Lea Klug, Nicole Kalotai, Julia Haardt, H. Boeing, Anette E Buyken, A. Kroke, Stefan Lorkowski, Sandrine Louis, Katharina Nimptsch, Matthias B. Schulze, Lukas Schwingshackl, Roswitha Siener, Gabriele I. Stangl, A. Zittermann, B. Watzl, S. Ellinger
Related Content
Claims (6)
Eating more or less total dietary protein does not change the risk of dying from any cause or from heart disease.
Current scientific evidence does not clearly show whether eating animal protein increases, decreases, or has no effect on the risk of stroke or cardiovascular disease, because studies have produced conflicting results and there is not enough consistent data to draw a firm conclusion.
Eating more or less protein from animal or plant sources does not change the risk of developing coronary heart disease in adults.
Eating more total protein or plant protein does not consistently change the risk of having a stroke in adults.
Eating more total protein or plant protein does not consistently change the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in adults.
Protein intake does not show a clear link to cardiovascular disease risk because other nutrients in protein-rich foods, like saturated fat in meat or fiber in beans, influence the outcome in ways that mask protein's direct effects.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.