Inclusion of red meat in healthful dietary patterns

Abstract

Dietary patterns are an important concept in dietary recommendations. The Western pattern is most commonly defined as a diet characterized by high intakes of refined grains, sugar and red meat, and has been shown to be associated with increased risks for certain types of cancer, coronary heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. However, isolating the independent effects of individual foods on health outcomes is central to helping individuals choose foods to build healthier dietary patterns to which they can adhere. Red meat is a popular source of high quality protein and provides a variety of essential nutrients that improve overall diet quality. It is also a source of saturated fatty acids, which observational evidence suggests are associated with heart disease, although recent data challenge this. Several studies have shown that lean red meat can be successfully included in recommended heart-healthy dietary patterns without detriment to blood lipids. Furthermore, increased dietary protein has been shown to promote healthy body weight and composition, in part by increasing satiety, and to improve vitality and stamina.

Mediterranean diet, micronutrients and macronutrients, and MRI measures of cortical thickness

“…The potential mechanism is unclear; we speculate that it could relate to some beneficial components of lean red meat (e.g. iron, protein, MUFA and PUFA) [46] and beneficial effects in increasing satiety and reducing weight gain. Fatty red meats and processed meats on the other hand are unlikely to be beneficial due to their high saturated fat content.…”

What is meat? A perspective from the American Meat Science Association

“…Second, meat consumption is often associated with social status or is enjoyed during times of celebration or special occasions. Finally, meat is consumed because it has desirable nutritional benefits and supports human health (Murphy et al, 2011;McNeill, 2014;O'Connor et al, 2017). As a reasoning for consuming meat from a nutritional standpoint, meat advocates have historically used the acronym "ZIP," which stands for zinc, iron, and protein; three nutrients associated with meat.…”

Effect of freezer storage on quality of <i>M. longissimus lumborum</i> from fallow deer (<i>Dama dama</i> L.)

“…Nonetheless, nutrition-conscious consumers are increasingly likely to opt for products that are characterized by high nutritional value and those that deliver health benefits. This trend has increased the demand for lean meat (McNeill, 2014). Game meat is lean (Nuernberg et al, 2009), and is characterized by high protein content and a healthy fatty acid profile (Zomborszky et al, 1996;Hoffman & Wiklund, 2006;Valencak et al, 2015).…”