This is the only meat you can eat often without risk, according to a new study.
Over the past few years, animal protein, and specifically lean meat, has not enjoyed much publicity. An increasing number of studies advocate reducing meat consumption in general, especially when it comes to red meat, replacing it either with poultry meat (white meat, not to be confused with pork as some have done), or directly with protein-rich vegetable alternatives, as could be the case with legumes, or even the novel protein of mushrooms.
In general, recent work suggests that vegetable protein is healthier and more environmentally sustainable than animal protein, which would lead to a reduction in overall meat consumption. However, this does not mean that eating lean meat is harmful. At least, that’s what a new paper by the Indiana University-Bloomington School of Public Health suggests: eating lean meat as part of a healthy diet is not detrimental to cardiovascular health.
New research on meat consumption.
According to the new study, eating lean meat does not necessarily increase the risk of cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes, as previous studies have suggested. In short, lean meat, as long as it is consumed as part of a healthy diet in general, does not in itself have a negative effect.
To demonstrate this, the researchers, led by Professor of Applied Health Sciences Kevin C. Maki, carried out a study with 33 individuals (26 women and 7 men) at risk of suffering from type 2 diabetes in the long term. All of them followed a healthy diet, according to the 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines. In this case, the only difference was lean meat (beef, in particular).
In this case, the study compared healthy American-style eating patterns, where the average amount of red meat consumed was usually just 35 grams per day, with a similar eating pattern where up to 150 grams of veal was added per day.
The participants completed a randomized cross-over clinical trial, meaning that they were all randomly assigned to one of the groups to follow a dietary pattern for four weeks. They then underwent a 2-week washout period ( by following a self-determined diet), and then returned to a controlled diet for another 4 weeks. By the end of the study, all participants had completed both types of diets during the study.
During one of the periods, one group consumed a regular healthy diet, while the other group added 150 grams of veal per day in exchange for reducing refined carbohydrates. Other than this modification, the participants’ diets were very similar. And then, after the washout period, the participants went on to the other type of diet.
Less dense LDL particles
On most indicators of cardiometabolic health, such as insulin sensitivity or levels of LDL cholesterol or “bad cholesterol,” there was no difference between the diets, Maki said. The only significant difference, she says, is that there was a higher percentage of larger, less dense LDL cholesterol; this finding, she explains, is important because larger, less dense LDL particles are less likely to promote atherosclerosis.
Maki and her colleagues also emphasize that red meat, by itself, doesn’t have to be harmful as long as it’s consumed within an overall healthy pattern. In fact, meat is a nutrient-dense food such as the above-mentioned animal proteins, iron or zinc. However, many studies have linked it to increased risk of type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
In this work, paradoxically, they have not found such a relationship. But, as the researchers point out, there is a key point to take into account: although the intake of red meat was increased, it was also replaced by refined carbohydrates. Even so, the same authors maintain that the objective of their research is not to encourage the consumption of red meat, but rather to demonstrate that it is not responsible for certain health damages.
