Replacing red meat with plant protein reduces heart disease risk   By Chiara Townley Fact checked by Isabel Godfrey A meta-analysis of trials comparing the health effects of red meat consumption with those of other diets found that substituting healthful plant protein for red meat helps lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Eating plant proteins, such as tofu, may benefit cardiovascular health. Many studies throughout the years have linked the consumption of red meat to cardiovascular disease and cancer, but the results have been inconsistent. A 2015 study comparing the effects of plant protein and animal protein on the risk of cardiovascular disease found that the evidence was inconclusive. Recent studies further investigated the link between red meat consumption and heart disease and found that red meat does not significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease when a person sticks to the recommended intake. Most of these studies focused on the potentia...