Heart-healthy Choice
BOLD research is highlight of Federation Forum.
Evidence indicates lean beef can play a significant role in the diets of people striving to lower blood cholesterol. Results from studies initiated with beef checkoff dollars were reported during the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) Federation Forum, convened during the 2012 Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville, Tenn. Present were producer representatives of the state beef councils responsible for investing individual states' shares of checkoff contributions.
Reporting initial results was Penny Kris-Etherton, professor of nutrition at Pennsylvania State University and lead investigator for the Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD) project. She said earlier studies of beef's association with cardio-vascular disease have yielded mixed results. Yet beef has been called a major contributor of dietary fat when most of the fat actually comes from other foods. Often overlooked are the changes that have occurred in beef composition, including a reduction in overall fat content and a reduction in saturated fat of about 30%.
Kris-Etherton said the 'gold standard' diet typically recommended to help lower blood cholesterol is the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which limits beef consumption to about 1 ounce (oz.) per day, on average, or two servings per week. The study compared the effects of the DASH diet with the effects of others, including the BOLD diet, allowing 4 oz. per day; and a BOLD-Plus diet, allowing 5.4 oz. per day.
"All of the diets lowered total blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. We saw very similar blood cholesterol-lowering responses," said Kris-Etherton. "It shows lean beef can be included in the diet while meeting current recommended targets for blood cholesterol."
Additionally, all diets resulted in lowering of systolic blood pressure — another factor associated with cardiovascular disease. The BOLD-Plus diet, allowing the greatest beef consumption, afforded the most blood pressure-lowering response. Kris-Etherton said it is believed to be a "protein effect."
Editor's Note: The above article was written under contract or by staff of Angus Productions Inc. (API) as part of its event coverage of the 2012 Cattle Industry Annual Convention, all of which may be found in the newsroom at www.4cattlemen.com. For questions about this site, to submit an article for our consideration, or to report a broken link, contact the editor at 816-383-5200; 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506.
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