Are nutrition guidelines fair to beef and dairy products?

Still think they have any idea what is going on?

Beef and dairy products have an undeserved reputation in America, according to an associate professor at Iowa State University.

Lance Baumgard says people link the saturated fat and cholesterol in ruminant animal products to cancer and heart problems, but not all science supports those relationships.

"It's just considered dogma that butter and steak cause heart attacks," he said. "...There are a variety of papers — dozens of papers — -that show an association with saturated fat intake and human disease. My only point is that there are also dozens of papers that do not support that hypothesis."

Baumgard works in the college's animal science department and has been following scientific literature on the topic since 2001. He notes some studies show eating animal products can help people be healthier. It's been suggested calcium in dairy products can lower the incidence of obesity, and that conjugated linoleic acid in ruminant animal products can help prevent cancer in rats and mice...

"Nutrition guidelines that limit red meat intake or suggest that other protein sources are healthier than beef are not considering the whole story," said Eustice.

Beef has nutritional benefits including iron, zinc, protein and B-vitamins, making it a calorie-efficient way for Americans to get nutrients, he said. Twenty-nine lean cuts of beef exist, including sirloin and tenderloin steaks. Beef contains saturated fat, the type to limit in a diet, but half of the fatty acids in beef are mono-unsaturated fat, the healthier type.

And the beat goes on.