Lean Beef Can Contribute To A Heart-Healthy Diet

Who knows?

Lean beef can contribute to a heart-healthy diet in the same way lean white meats can, according to nutritional scientists.

The DASH diet - Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension -- is currently recommended by the American Heart Association to lower cholesterol and reduce risk of heart disease. People following the DASH diet are encouraged to eat fish and poultry, but not much beef.

According to the Centers for Disease Control about 26 percent of American deaths are caused by heart disease.

"The DASH diet is currently the gold standard for contemporary diet recommendations," said Michael Roussell, nutrition consultant and recent Penn State Ph.D. graduate. "The DASH diet emphasizes plant protein foods, poultry, fish and small amounts of lean beef. Consumers often interpret this to mean that red meat is restricted on a healthy diet. Our research is showing that if you can keep your saturated fat levels controlled and lean beef portions in check, you can incorporate lean beef into a heart healthy diet and still see equal reductions as with white meat and fish."

These folks claim to:

The Beef Checkoff Program of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the National Institutes of Health - supported Penn State General Clinical Research Center funded this research.

You decide.