Feed Lot Magazine Online, Lean Red Meat Is Healthy

A recent study confirms that including lean red meat in a sensible diet can positively impact blood cholesterol levels and actually help individuals follow the diet with better long-term compliance. The study demonstrated that the consumption of lean red meat or lean white meat over an extended period of time is similarly effective in reducing "bad" cholesterol and raising "good" cholesterol concentrations in those people with elevated cholesterol levels. The research was published in the June 2000 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

Total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol -- the bad cholesterol -- decreased for the duration of the study. In both groups, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (HDL) -- the good cholesterol -- increased. Combined, these favorable changes in blood cholesterol levels could lead to a reduction in coronary heart disease (CHD) risk.

Results from the research's two 36-week treatment phases reaffirms the finding of the first phase of the study, published in the June 1999 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. That research concluded that a diet including six ounces of lean red meat consumed five or more days a week can favorably impact blood lipid levels and thereby reduce the risk of CHD.

"This study is the largest and longest in providing evidence that the case against lean red meat has been misrepresented. It clearly shows that a heart-healthy diet containing up to six ounces of lean red meat can positively impact blood cholesterol levels," says Dr. Michael H. Davidson, M.D., Chicago Center for Clinical Research, and one of the lead researchers of the study. "For those individuals at risk for coronary heart disease, consuming lean red meat is not only acceptable, it encourages compliance to a heart-healthy diet."