Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42541632›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of nutrition2026

High plant protein intake decreases all-cause mortality in the "Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra" (SUN) cohort European journal of nutrition.

Ainara Martínez-Tabar, Miguel Ruiz-Canela, Vanessa Bullón-Vela, Carmen de la Fuente-Arrillaga, Carmen Sayón-Orea, Miguel Ángel Martínez-González, Maira Bes-Rastrollo

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Article in European journal of nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Ainara Martínez-TabarDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Navarra, Institute for Nutrition and Health (INS), Pamplona, Spain.
Miguel Ruiz-CanelaDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Navarra, Institute for Nutrition and Health (INS), Pamplona, Spain.
Vanessa Bullón-VelaDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Navarra, Institute for Nutrition and Health (INS), Pamplona, Spain.
Carmen de la Fuente-ArrillagaDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Navarra, Institute for Nutrition and Health (INS), Pamplona, Spain.
Carmen Sayón-OreaDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Navarra, Institute for Nutrition and Health (INS), Pamplona, Spain.
Miguel Ángel Martínez-GonzálezDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Navarra, Institute for Nutrition and Health (INS), Pamplona, Spain.
Maira Bes-RastrolloDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Navarra, Institute for Nutrition and Health (INS), Pamplona, Spain. mbes@unav.es.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeProspective cohort studies analyzing the effect of plant versus animal protein intake on mortality in relatively young individuals from Mediterranean populations are limited. Moreover, a limited number of studies have performed repeated measurements of protein intake. We evaluated the relationship between plant versus animal protein intake (at baseline and at the ten-year follow-up) and mortality in the "Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra" (SUN) project.

methodsThe SUN project is a prospective, multi-purpose, dynamic cohort study of Spanish university graduates. Plant and animal protein intake were assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) previously validated in Spain. Participants were divided into quartiles based on their intake of protein. Cox regression models were used, with the first quartile serving as the reference category.

resultsA total of 17,989 subjects (10,961 women and 7028 men) were included in the analysis. During 251.363 person-years of follow-up (median follow-up time: 12 years), 460 deaths were identified. The mean age at baseline was 38 years with a standard deviation of 12 years. Participants in the highest quartile of plant protein intake had a 35% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to those in the lowest quartile after adjusting for potential confounders [hazard ratio (HR): 0.65 (95% CI: 0.45-0.93), p for trend = 0.009]. No significant association was found between animal protein intake and mortality [HR: 0.94 (95% CI: 0.70-1.26); p for trend = 0.555] nor between plant protein intake and cardiovascular or cancer mortality.

conclusionPlant protein intake was inversely associated with all-cause mortality in a Mediterranean population. Animal protein intake was not associated with total mortality.

Indexed as

Dietary ProteinsMortalityPlant ProteinsPlant Proteins, DietaryAdultAnimal Proteins, DietaryCardiovascular DiseasesCohort StudiesFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMaleProportional Hazards ModelsProspective StudiesSpainSurveys and QuestionnairesAnimal Proteins, DietaryDietary ProteinsPlant ProteinsPlant Proteins, DietaryAnimal proteinCohortMortalityPlant proteinProspective

Identifiers

PMID42541632
PMCPMC13428695

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.