Washington: A new study shows that lean beef can play a role in a cholesterol-lowering diet, despite commonly held beliefs.
The study found that diets including lean beef every day are as effective in lowering total and LDL “bad” cholesterol as the “gold standard” of heart-healthy diets (DASH, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).
The Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD) clinical study (Effects on Lipids, Lipoprot
Funded by the Beef Checkoff and conducted at Pennsylvania State University, the BOLD study evaluated adults with moderately elevated cholesterol levels, measuring the impact of diets including varying amounts of lean beef on total and LDL cholesterol levels.
Study participants experienced a 10 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol from the start of the study, while consuming diets containing 4.0 and 5.4 ounces of lean beef daily.
In a news release from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Texas medical doctor and cattleman Richard Thorpe said the BOLD study proves that lean beef not only tastes great but it also plays an important role in a heart-healthy diet.
“The need to remove red meat to reduce saturated fat is a message that has been misinterpreted by media and many health professionals,” Roussell wrote. “Yes, lower quality cuts and processed red meat products do contain higher levels of saturated fat. But red meat doesn’t even make the top 5 list of major contributors of saturated fat to the American diet (full fat cheese is #1).”
Shalene McNeill, PhD, RD, and executive director, human research for NCBA, said, “This research adds to the body of evidence concluding that there are heart-health benefits to including lean beef in your daily diet. The BOLD study provides strong evidence that including daily lean beef in the gold-standard DASH diet has heart health benefits.”
