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January 17, 2026
New research supports including lean beef in heart healthy diets
New research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition provides strong evidence that heart healthy diets including daily servings of lean beef can reduce heart disease risk by lowering total and LDL cholesterol.1 Adults who ate 2 servings of lean beef (153 g) as part of a heart-healthy diet achieved a 10% decrease in LDL cholesterol levels within 5 weeks. This rigorously designed randomized controlled trial demonstrates that heart healthy diets that include lean beef daily improve blood lipid levels as effectively as the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet.
The Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD) study, led by distinguished researcher Penny Kris-Etherton, PHD, RD, investigated the effects of heart healthy diets with varying amounts of lean beef. Thirty-six hypercholesterolemic adults were randomly assigned to consume each of four diets for five weeks:
- Healthy American Diet (HAD): 20 g beef/day
- Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH): 28 g beef/day
- Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD): 113 g beef/day
- Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet plus additional protein (BOLD +): 153 g beef/day
The study found that heart healthy diets that include lean beef as the primary protein source are as effective in lowering total and LDL cholesterol as the DASH diet that emphasizes white meat and plant protein. Total and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly reduced with each of the BOLD, BOLD+ and DASH diets compared to the HAD diet. Overall, participants following the BOLD and BOLD+ diets experienced a 10% decrease in LDL cholesterol from baseline. These reductions were of the same magnitude as those observed with the DASH diet, recognized as a �gold standard� for heart health.
For Your Practice
The results of the BOLD study provide convincing evidence that lean beef can be included in a heart healthy diet to lower cardiovascular disease risk.1 The BOLD and DASH diets were rich in vegetables, fruit, whole grains and lower fat milk products and differed primarily in the main sources of protein - lean beef vs. mainly white meat and plant protein. These findings are consistent with previous clinical trials showing that lean red and white meats have equal effects on blood cholesterol.2 A recent review and meta-analysis by Harvard researchers also concluded that fresh red meat intakes averaging 100 g per day are not associated with heart disease risk.3 This indicates efforts to limit fresh red meat are not an effective way to reduce heart disease risk and distract from more effective dietary strategies.
Want to Learn More?
Read these references:
1. Roussell MA et al.
Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet Study: effects on lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins. Am J Clin Nutr 2012; 95(1): 9�16.
2. Davidson MH et al.
Comparison of the effects of lean red meat vs lean white meat on serum lipid levels among free-living persons with hypercholesterolemia. Arch Intern Med 1999; 155:1331-8.
3. Micha R, Wallace SK, Mozaffarian D.
Red and processed meat consumption and risk of incident coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Circulation 2010; 121(21):2271-83.
See also:
Lean Beef and Heart Health: A Fresh Perspective
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