White meat is just as bad as red meat when it comes to cholesterol, study finds

(CNN) – The debate over red meat or white meat is in a tie: Eating white meat, such as poultry, would have an identical effect on your cholesterol level as eating red meat, according to recent research.

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The long-held belief that eating white meat is less harmful to your heart may still be true, because there may be other effects of eating red meat that contribute to cardiovascular disease, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco said. This needs to be explored in more detail, they added.

Non-meat proteins, such as vegetables, dairy, and legumes, including beans, show the best cholesterol benefit, according to the new study published this Tuesday in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

“Bad” cholesterol can lead to heart disease

It is well known that saturated fats increase the concentration of LDL or “bad” cholesterol in the bloodstream and if this harmful waxy substance accumulates in the arteries, the result could be a heart attack or stroke. Saturated fats, most of which come from animal sources, include butter, beef fat, and poultry skin.

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Dietitians have assumed that the high saturated fat content of red meat generally contributes to cardiovascular disease risk, but no one has adequately tested this theory, according to the researchers. And so they test long-standing belief.

More than 100 healthy men and women between the ages of 21 and 65 were randomly assigned to consume saturated fat, provided primarily by butter and all-fat foods, or low-saturated fat groups.

All participants, who abstained from alcohol during the study, went through a cycle of three test diets: a red meat diet, a white meat diet, and then a meatless diet. Each diet lasted four weeks and was marked by a “washout period” when the participants ate their usual foods. The main source of red meat provided by the researchers was beef, while chicken served as the main white meat protein. Blood samples were obtained from all participants at the beginning and end of each test diet.

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Vegetable proteins had the healthiest impact on blood cholesterol, study results showed. Meanwhile, the effects of white and red meat on the participants’ cholesterol levels were identical when saturated fat levels were equivalent.

So participants who ate a diet high in saturated fat had higher total and LDL cholesterol levels than those assigned to a diet low in saturated fat, regardless of their protein source.

The researchers also looked at the size of the cholesterol particles. It is widely believed that large particles do not contribute as much as small particles to the risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), but recent research suggest that both small and large particles of bad cholesterol are associated with atherosclerosis.

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The study showed no significant differences in the concentrations of large, medium, and small LDL particles in the participants’ blood between the red and white meat diets. However, a diet high in saturated fat was associated with a higher concentration of large LDL particles, although no association with small or medium particles was observed.

Always choose the “leanest meats”

Maria Romo-Palafox, a registered dietitian and postdoctoral fellow at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut, described the study as “excellently planned.” Romo-Palafox, who was not involved in the research, noted that even the participants received meals in this “well-controlled” study.

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“If you have problems with cholesterol or if you have a family history of cholesterol or heart disease, then it is better to consume less red and white meats and substitute beans, lentils, grains with higher protein content, such as quinoa and soy-based products, like tofu and tempeh, “he said.

“Finding after finding, we are confirming that a plant-based diet tends to have better health outcomes and tends to have less impact. [ambiental negativo]”He said. Scientists” don’t know exactly “why plant-based proteins protect the heart, but it is believed that” the other vitamins and minerals that come with the plant, “and not the plant protein itself, are more beneficial for our cardiovascular system, he explained.

We don’t need to see the study results “as a black-and-white problem,” he said. Meat, whether red or white, doesn’t need to be banished from everyone’s diet. While nutritionists make recommendations for the general public, each individual is unique in their nutritional needs.

“The take-home message is that there is no need to put a restricted or prohibited label on red meat,” said Romo-Palafox. “Make sure you choose the leanest meats possible. Why not, for example, stop eating meat on Mondays? That might help you balance your risk.”

This note was originally published in 2019