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Nutritionist says beef study should not alarm

A nutritionist says a new study about beef is “interesting” but shouldn’t cause us to give up beef. A peer-reviewed study by the Cleveland Clinic that’s published in Nature Medicine says a compound in red meat that’s also used as a supplement in energy drinks promotes hardening and clogging of the arteries – atherosclerosis.

The compound is L-Carnitine, an amino acid. Dr. Shalene McNeill is a Registered Dietitian and leader of Human Nutrition Research for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).  She tells Brownfield Ag News,  “The metabolism of this single nutrient depends on the make-up of the bacteria in your individual gut.”  So, the results from person to person would vary.

The study says the Carnitine converts to a metabolite linked to the promotion of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) in humans. However, she says, “There’s a lot of evidence that shows you can include beef in a diet that can improve cholesterol levels and improve your heart health by choosing a balanced, varied and moderated meal.”

McNeill says lean beef brings high quality protein, zinc, iron and B vitamins to the table – nutrients that the authors of the study point out.

  • Well, I read the cited study 3 times and found a different conclusion than the corporate Nutritionist.
    The corporate Nutritionist is certainly entitled to their opinion, but that opinion is not only unsubstantiated by the cited article, but offers no pretense at, or evidence of any scientific facts.

    Is there a connection between the whole world slowly drifting to a plant based diet and the vociferous funding of Nutritionists by the cattle and pork industry?

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