BLACKSBURG—You might have heard that lean beef is back as a healthy food. Now there’s a study to support that.

Penn State researchers noticed that there had never been any research testing whether lean cuts of beef would be healthy sources of protein, so they tested that theory with 36 subjects over a 20-week period from 2007 to 2009. The study findings have been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Four different low-fat diets were prescribed for participants, and the one with the leanest cuts of beef was effective at reducing the level of LDL cholesterol by 10 percent. Participants had moderately high cholesterol levels at the beginning of the study. 

“The study is very much in line with the new U.S. Department of Agriculture dietary guidelines that were released in 2010,” said Rachel Sanders, a registered dietitian with Virginia Cooperative Extension. “The conclusion was that this diet significantly decreased LDL cholesterol—the `bad cholesterol’ and a primary target in preventing cardiovascular disease.”

Sanders noted the USDA dietary guidelines recommend less than 10 percent of calories in a daily diet and less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol come from saturated fat. She said the best results in the study came with an even more restrictive use of lean cuts of beef, with less than 7 percent of calories and 200 milligrams of cholesterol coming from saturated fat. She also noted that the best results came with very small portions of beef, only 113 grams, which speaks to the need for portion control.

“This is good news for people who were worried about whether or not to include beef in their diet,” said Spencer Neale, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation senior assistant director of commodity marketing. “It’s always good to have science behind your eating decisions, and farmers welcome any positive news about the nutritional value of beef.”

Contact Sanders at 540-231-4900, Neale at 804-290-1153 or Norm Hyde, VFBF communications, at 804-290-1146.