Study Shows Grain Fed Beef Healthier Than Grass Fed

Study Shows Ground Beef From Grain-Fed Cattle Healthier Than Grass-Fed
05/27/2010 10:49AM

COLLEGE STATION – Grass-fed beef may not have as many healthful traits as some perceive, according to results from a recent Texas AgriLife Research study.

Dr. Stephen Smith, an AgriLife Research meat scientist, and a team of researchers have found that contrary to popular perception, ground beef from pasture-fed cattle had no beneficial effects on plasma lipid.

However, high monounsaturated fat ground beef from grain-fed cattle increased HDL cholesterol, increased LDL particle diameters, and decreased insulin, suggesting that ground beef produced by intensive production practices provides “a healthful, high-quality source of protein.”

"We wanted to see from this study if product from pasture-fed and corn-fed cattle had different effects on LDL or HDL cholesterol," Smith said. "We looked at the scientific literature and could not find any justifications for the statement that pasture-fed beef is better for you. All we found were rat studies in which they were fed omega-3 fatty acids, so we wanted to know if this applied to beef from grass-fed cattle."

"There really were no negative effects of feeding ground beef from the pasture-fed cattle," Smith said. "We did see many positive effects in men that consumed ground beef from corn-fed cattle. The ground beef from the USDA Prime cattle increased HDL cholesterol and LDL particle diameter. Both effects are protective against cardiovascular disease. The Prime ground beef also decreased insulin, so it may have some protective effect against type II diabetes." Read More

The biggest thing this study should provide for us is the fact that all beef is healthy for us. It doesn’t do anyone any good to vilify the type of beef our neighbor raises. It doesn’t matter what type of food you are raising, if you have to make up scary stories and spew misinformation about other products in order to promote your own, then you have a problem. All of us have preferences about what we like and don’t like but in the end we have a huge responsibility to provide food and fiber for the planet.

Livestock, Animal Testing May Cure Diabetes

Pig research gives hope for diabetes cure
By Jeff Sturgeon
BLACKSBURG

A Blacksburg medical company says it is a step closer to finding a potential cure for one form of diabetes, tapping pigs as a source of healthy, insulin-oozing cells that might someday be transplanted into ailing humans.

Revivicor Inc. and researchers at the University of Pittsburgh recently reported that by injecting sickened laboratory monkeys with live, pig pancreatic cells, they reversed the monkeys' Type I diabetes.

Tests on diabetic people could begin in two years and, if they are successful, it could usher in one of the first approved human medical treatments derived from living animal cells.

With a global epidemic of diabetes taking shape, medical researchers are looking for answers for people who can't make or effectively use insulin to convert food to energy. Read More

There is a continuous stream of new medical breakthroughs involving the use of livestock. Not only do livestock help feed the world, they are also making it healthier. As much as the anti-animal agriculture people would like you to believe we can manage without using animals, the simple truth is that they make our lives better.