Beef as part of a healthy diet. A review

Abstract

For decades the consumption of red meat has been subject of global debate. First for its effect on human health and more recently for ethical and environmental issues. However, meat has been part of human diet for more than 3 million years, and it is considered as critical in man´s evolution, as well as in the development of his cognitive abilities. Since late 1970s there have been a growing pressure to reduce their consumption based mainly on epidemiological studies, which establish associations but not causality. However, results from randomized controlled studies, the most reliable and accepted scientific evidence, have not been able to establish causality between its consumption and cardiovascular diseases and/or cancer, nor of these with the consumption of saturated fats. This raises reasonable doubts about the effectiveness of current nutritional recommendations and their potential impact on health. In this paper we present recent evidence on the effect of consumption of saturated fat and beef on health, as a new paradigm. This food with low caloric content and high nutrient density, in turn of high bioavailability, also provides important functional metabolites for human health, and can be perfectly part of a healthy and environmentally friendly diet.