A new study found that including moderate amounts of lean beef in a Mediterranean-style diet did not raise a key marker of heart disease risk.
Eating moderate portions of lean beef within a Mediterranean-style diet does not raise a developing marker linked to cardiovascular disease, according to new research from an interdisciplinary team at Penn State. The study looked at measures of heart health and gut microbiome diversity in young, generally healthy adults who rotated through four controlled diets for four weeks, each featuring different quantities and types of beef.
As reported in Journal of the American Heart Association, participants who followed a Mediterranean diet that included either .5 or 2.5 ounces of lean beef per day did not show an increase in trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a metabolic compound associated with higher cardiovascular risk. These results were compared with outcomes from an average American diet that provided 2.5 ounces of regular beef daily and a Mediterranean diet that supplied 5.5 ounces of lean beef each day. TMAO forms during metabolism and is commonly produced when people eat animal-based foods, including beef.
“Observational evidence shows higher levels of TMAO are associated with higher cardiovascular risk,” said Kristina Petersen, associate professor of nutritional sciences and senior author of this study. “In this study we wanted to better understand the relationship between lean beef consumption and TMAO levels in the context of a healthy, Mediterranean style diet.”
Petersen noted that people are often advised to limit beef because higher intake has been tied to increased risk of heart disease. She explained that the new findings support earlier studies on related risk factors and indicate that eating modest amounts of lean, unprocessed beef within an overall healthy eating pattern does not appear to negatively influence heart disease risk.
