Eating red meat may have a bad reputation as dangerous to heart health, but new research shows that lean beef may have a place in a healthy diet.
In a randomized controlled study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found that combining the Mediterranean diet with small portions of lean beef helped reduce risk factors for developing heart disease, such as LDL cholesterol.
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“A diet based on fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods leaves room for moderate amounts of food such as lean beef. There are many important nutrients in beef that benefit the human body,” points out the Assistant Professor of Nutrition at the University of Pansilvania, Jennifer Fleming.
The study included 59 participants, who consumed each type of diet for four weeks, with a seven-day break. The researchers took blood samples at the beginning of the study as well as after each feeding period.
Three of the four eating periods contained different amounts of beef along with a Mediterranean diet, which provided 41% of calories from fat, 42% from carbohydrates, and 17% from protein. In addition, one diet contained 14 grams of beef per day, the recommended amount in the Mediterranean diet pyramid. The second diet contained 70 grams per day, the amount that an average person consumes in a day, while the third experimental diet contained 156 grams of meat, an amount that previous studies have linked to certain health benefits.
All three periods of the Mediterranean diet contained olive oil as the main source of fat, three to six servings of fruit, and six or more servings of vegetables per day, while beef was partially or completely lean.
Scientists used NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance imaging) technology to measure the number and size of lipoprotein particles, which is important “because there is growing evidence that the number of LDL molecules is more associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease than total L in the blood. In addition, we were able to detect changes in apolipoproteins and specifically apoB, which are also associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease,” notes Dr. Fleming.
After analyzing the data, the researchers found that participants had lower LDL cholesterol after periods of the Mediterranean diet compared to the common diet. But while total LDL counts were reduced after three periods of the Mediterranean diet, the decrease was only considered significant after periods containing 14 or 70 grams of beef per day.
In addition, non-HDL cholesterol and apoB – a protein involved in lipid metabolism and an indicator of cardiovascular risk – were lower after all three periods of the Mediterranean diet.
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According to scientists, red meat – like beef – has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in previous studies, but it remains unclear whether it is ultimately responsible for these effects or whether it is caused by other dietary and other human choices along with the consumption of red meat.
In addition, researchers report that many studies have combined fresh and processed meat when evaluating red meat consumption for health. However, processed red meat has a very different nutritional profile than fresh, it has much more sodium.
“The Mediterranean diet has traditionally been low in red meat. But knowing that many people enjoy this food, we wanted to look at how the combination of lean beef with the Mediterranean diet can affect cardiovascular risk indicators,” explains Dr. Fleming.
Scientists say the study highlights the importance of eating a healthy, well-balanced diet.
“Our work contributes to the benefits associated with a healthy Mediterranean diet that incorporates balance, variety, and the addition of high nutritional value, which may include low to moderate amounts of lean red meat,” concluded Dr. Fleming.