Frozen lentils fix plant meat's texture as cancer-risk evidence grows

Frozen lentils crack plant meat's texture problem, as beans outsell it

Researchers at ETH Zurich froze legume purées from one side to align ice crystals into muscle-like fibers, producing a meat-like bite in lentils, beans and peas without additives or extrusion [76]. UK sales of beans, tofu and tempeh grew 7.3% in units in the first half of 2026 while vegan meat alternatives fell 4.3%, as shoppers turned away from ultra-processed meat analogs, Madre Brava found [77]. Conventional meat sales dipped too, down 1.8% in the same UK data [77].

• 7.3%rise in UK unit sales of beans, pulses, tofu and tempeh in H1 2026, versus a 4.3% unit decline for vegan meat alternatives [77]
• 96%of global legume production comes from species compatible with the freeze-structuring technique [76]

FromGreen Queen

Self-selected vegan diet cuts muscle mass in seniors, but exercise erases the loss

A 12-week randomized trial found a self-selected vegan diet cut older adults' protein intake by nearly 20 grams a day and shrank thigh muscle volume and appendicular lean mass compared with a matched omnivorous diet, with no coaching on hitting protein targets [26]. Muscle protein synthesis ran lower in the vegan group too, but adding resistance exercise to the same vegan diet cut the muscle loss roughly in half [26]. The trial followed 72 healthy adults over 65, split between an unplanned vegan diet, an omnivorous diet, and a vegan diet paired with resistance training [26].

• -27.7 g/ddrop in protein intake for the vegan group in week one, versus no change for the omnivorous group [26]
• -1.15 kgappendicular lean mass lost after 12 weeks on the self-selected vegan diet, compared with a 0.05 kg gain on the omnivorous diet [26]
• -0.62 kglean mass lost when resistance exercise was added to the same vegan diet, roughly half the loss without it [26]

FromPubMed

Meta-analysis finds vegetarian and vegan diets cut risk across seven cancer types

A systematic review and meta-analysis of seven prospective studies found vegetarian diets cut total cancer risk 13% and vegan diets cut it 23%, compared with non-vegetarians [37]. Vegetarians also showed lower risk of stomach, colorectal, colon, pancreatic, bladder and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cancers and melanoma, while vegans showed a lower risk of breast cancer specifically [37]. Using World Cancer Research Fund criteria, the researchers rated the evidence for vegetarian diets and total, colorectal, colon and breast cancer as probable, the strongest grade short of certain [37].

• 13%lower total cancer risk for vegetarians than non-vegetarians, pooled across four studies [37]
• 23%lower total cancer risk for vegans than non-vegetarians, pooled across three studies [37]
• 45%lower stomach cancer risk for vegetarians than non-vegetarians [37]

FromPubMed

Study finds young chimpanzees develop distinct vocal accents as they mature

A study comparing infant and juvenile chimpanzees from two separated populations found their grunts, whimpers and laughter grew more distinct from each other as the animals aged, challenging the assumption that chimp calls are fixed by genetics alone [84]. Some population-specific vocal traits appeared as early as infancy, while others emerged only during the juvenile years, the Queen Mary University of London-led team found [84]. The findings add evidence that primate communication develops through social and environmental exposure, not a fixed genetic script [84].

FromPlants & Animals News - Biology news