Benefits of Eating Beef
People have been eating beef for thousands of years. The first domesticated cattle lived in the Middle East almost 10,000 years ago before migration brought them to Africa.
Health Benefits
Beef is a good source of protein and other nutrients but is also high in cholesterol and saturated fats that can cause fatty deposits to build up in the blood.
Beef can be a healthy part of your diet but should be eaten in moderation. According to experts from Harvard University, "an accumulated body of evidence shows a clear link between high intake of red and processed meats and a higher risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and premature death."
Eating beef does increase your health risks overall. However, there are some benefits to eating beef if you eat it in small portions and choose lean cuts.
1. Beef Provides a Large Source of L-Carnitine
L-carnitine is an amino acid that occurs naturally in meat products. In the table below, we can see the L-carnitine content of beef compared to some other animal foods and plant foods.
Among other functions, L-carnitine plays a part in fat metabolism. As part of this, L-Carnitine does the job of transporting fats into our mitochondria for burning.
It’s important to clarify that our body can synthesize sufficient amounts of L-carnitine for general needs; this makes it a non-essential amino acid.
The body synthesizes L-Carnitine within the liver and the process relies on the amino acids L-lysine and L-methionine.
However, research suggests that a higher dietary intake of L-Carnitine may have some positive health impacts.
Various studies show the following findings;
Heart Health
A meta-analysis of randomized trials suggests that L-carnitine improves patient outcomes. Specifically, it exerts an effect on hypertension, oxidative stress, nitric oxide, and inflammation.
A further systematic review found that L-carnitine is associated with a 27% reduction in all-cause mortality in heart failure patients.
Diabetes
A systematic review shows that higher L-carnitine intake in type 2 diabetes patients improves fasting glucose levels and the overall cholesterol profile.
Weight Loss
According to a systematic review and meta-analysis of nine randomized controlled trials, subjects using L-carnitine supplementation lost “significantly more weight” than the control group.
It’s worth noting that while there are many L-carnitine supplements around, the absorption rate is poor in comparison to beef. In fact, our body only absorbs around 14-18% of the synthetic form of the nutrient.
2. Beef Provides the “Master Antioxidant” Glutathione
Commonly known as the ‘master antioxidant,’ glutathione has a score of research linking it to;
Anti-aging benefits
Increasing longevity
Preventing illness
Reducing the risk of chronic disease
Strengthening the immune system
It helps protect every cell in our body from cellular damage, which can lead to many chronic diseases.
On the other hand, a deficiency in glutathione contributes to oxidative stress and inflammation.
As a result, keeping glutathione levels high is important for our overall health.
Endogenous Glutathione Production and Dietary Sources
First of all, our body produces glutathione endogenously. In other words, our body uses raw materials (in this case: amino acids) to make glutathione.
For this process to occur, we should have adequate levels of the amino acids; cysteine, glutamate, and glycine. These amino acids are known as glutathione precursors, and each of these amino acids is present in beef.
On the positive side, beef also contains a reasonably high source of complete (pre-formed) dietary glutathione.
3. Beef is High in Protein and Helps Improve Muscle Mass
There are numerous reasons why we should strive to ensure a sufficient protein intake and these include;
Protein is the building block our body uses to repair and make bone, skin, and cartilage. Sufficient protein helps us to build and maintain lean muscle mass.
Out of all macronutrients, protein is the most satiating, and it discourages food cravings. Beef is packed with health-promoting amino acids, and it’s one of the single biggest sources of protein in the human diet. For instance, a 6oz (170g) portion of 80% lean beef provides 46g protein.
Should we opt for a leaner variety of beef, the protein content can be even higher.
The Importance of Lean Mass
As we age, building—or at least holding on to—lean mass should be a priority.
Research shows that older adults with lower muscle mass are at a higher risk of mortality.
Speaking bluntly, the more skeletal muscle mass someone loses as they age, the higher their risk of an earlier death. Also, the rate of muscle protein synthesis rapidly drops as we age, making it a lot harder to build and maintain muscle.
Considering this, we should ensure we’re eating a sufficient amount of protein this is especially essential for elderly people.
On this note, beef is one of the best protein-rich foods out there.
4. Beef is Extremely Rich in Minerals
If you’re looking to increase your intake of various minerals, then beef is one of the best options to consider.
First of all, beef is relatively nutrient-dense in minerals. Here we can see the mineral content of 80% lean beef.
As shown in the table, beef provides more than half of the day’s recommended amount of selenium and zinc. Many people have deficiency issues with some of these minerals.
So, the nutritional value of beef can help fight prevalent global deficiencies in iron, magnesium, and zinc.
5. Eating Beef Helps Prevent Iron Deficiency Anemia
We touched on mineral deficiencies in the last point, but iron deficiency anemia deserves a mention of its own.
Sadly, iron deficiency anemia is a growing epidemic around the world.
In a developed country such as the United States, nutrient deficiencies shouldn’t be a cause of death, yet anemia kills thousands every year.
To be exact, the latest release of statistics showed that Anemia hospitalized 146,000 Americans in one year. 5,219 of these people died.
6. Beef Contains Carnosine, a Potent Amino Acid
Another advantage of eating beef is that it provides an abundance of carnosine.
Carnosine (beta-analyl-L-histidine) is an amino acid found throughout the body, and it has several important roles in human health.
As beef is one of the highest sources of carnosine (containing about 50% more than poultry), this is another health benefit.
