Last night, the good doctor e-mailed me a web address to visit overnight, and insisted I read the ‘learned study’ report there with an open mind before reading his comments. “Taken at face value, it makes sense,” Dr. O. explained, “but under close, reasoned scrutiny, it comes off as totally nutsey!”
How much of this glorious, classic beef burger do you think you could eat under the
study’s recommendations? One bite. So what’s the point of this study, anyway?
The good Doctor has a good point. Because the study in question concludes that consuming red meat along with the Mediterranean Diet can help lower your risk of heart disease. Herewith find a condensed version of the study report, so you can make up your own mind…
“Eat the beef!”
In a randomized controlled study, researchers at Penn State University found that a Mediterranean diet combined with small portions of lean beef helped lower risk factors for developing heart disease, such as LDL cholesterol.
“When you create a healthy diet built on fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based foods, it leaves room for moderate amounts of other foods like lean beef,” Jennifer Fleming, assistant teaching professor of nutrition at Penn State, said. “There are still important nutrients in beef that you can benefit from by eating lean cuts like the loin or round, or 93 percent lean ground beef.”
[Wait! – I interject, here: Who eats 93 percent lean ground Beef? Folks who enjoy cardboard on a bun with Mustard and Ketchup?]
David J. Baer, research leader at the United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service, and study co-principal investigator, added, “This study highlights the importance of including lean beef in a Mediterranean dietary pattern that can yield heart-healthy benefits.”
[Note: This guy, from the USDA, is obviously the beef industry ‘plant’ in this scenario – Dr. O.]
According to the researchers, red meat such as beef has been associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease in previous studies. But it has remained unclear whether red meat actually causes these effects or if they actually are caused by other diet and lifestyle choices that people engage in alongside red meat consumption.
[Here, the study outcomes report begins to sound like a Trump Administration explanation for the COVID-19 pandemic. – M.J. Anyway…]
In addition to the control average American diet, one diet provided 0.5 ounces of beef a day, which is the amount recommended in the Mediterranean diet pyramid. A second diet provided 2.5 ounces a day, which represents the amount an average American eats in a day, and the third experimental diet included 5.5 ounces a day, which previous research connected with certain heart health benefits.
[Whoa! Who eats just 0.5 oz. / 14 g of meat at a time? Let alone, per day? – M.J.]
After the data were analyzed, the researchers found that participants all had lower LDL cholesterol following the Mediterranean diet periods compared to the average American diet. But while the total numbers of LDL particles were reduced following all three Mediterranean diet periods, they were only significantly decreased when following those periods that included 0.5 or 2.5 ounces of beef a day compared to the average American diet.
[2.5 oz. is roughly the equivalent of a single McDonald’s ‘regular’ (small) Hamburger Patty. Again, who eats only that much meat at a sitting? Let alone in a day? Huh? – M.J.]
“Our study helped illustrate the benefits associated with a healthy Mediterranean dietary pattern that embodies balance, variety and the inclusion of nutrient-rich components, which can include low to moderate amounts of lean beef,” Fleming said.
[So concludes USDA guy Fleming, whose very presence as a part of the study team fails the smell test with me! – Dr. O.]
Anyway…
There you have it – the good Doctor’s latest beef about the ongoing ‘red meat’ controversy. I have to agree with his evaluation of the USDA guy’s presence on the team. Unlike some of these study report abstracts that I see, this one does not disclaim anything about who funded it. Do I hear somebody out in the hall whispering, “Could it possibly have been the USDA?”
~ Maggie J.