A new study is detailing the health benefits of plant-based milk alternatives.
Among other findings, researchers say pea-based drinks have the most phosphorus, zinc, and selenium.
They also note that soy-based products have the highest amounts of magnesium.
But even reading the nutrition labels doesn't always give you a full picture.
Minerals
This study looked at the mineral content in single-base ingredient, plant-based milk products such as almond, cashew, coconut, hemp, oat, pea, rice, or soy.
The report was presented at the American Chemical Society’s annual meeting.
The central issue that researchers focused on in the study is that essential minerals and components of dairy milk such as magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium are not required on the nutrition facts label in plant-based milk alternatives.
Key findings
The analysis included 85 milk alternative samples. Mineral content varied significantly across different plant-based milk product types and between brands.
The key findings reported by the researchers included:
- pea-based drinks had the most phosphorus, zinc, and selenium
- soy drinks had the highest amounts of magnesium
- only pea-based and soy-based drinks had higher levels of the four essential minerals than cow’s milk
- pea-based drinks contain about 50% higher levels of phosphorus, zinc, and selenium.
Micronutrients
Benjamin Redan, a research chemist in the Food and Drug Administration and principal investigator on the project, said these plant-based milk alternatives could be important sources of micronutrients if you’re trying to reach the recommended dietary allowances for them.
The researchers said they hope their data helps consumers make informed dietary decisions about non-dairy plant-based drink products.
You can read the full article here.
