The long thought idea that eating white meat is better for you than eating red meat isn’t actually true, according to a recent study.
While popular belief mistaken labeled red meat as increasing your chances of heart disease and the government encouraging other meat alternatives, a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that both red and white meats do equal damage to your cholesterol, a factor that leads to heart disease. Needless to say, researchers were shocked by the findings.
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“When we planned this study, we expected red meat to have a more adverse effect on blood cholesterol levels than white meat, but we were surprised that this was not the case — their effects on cholesterol are identical when saturated fat levels are equivalent,” said the study’s senior author Ronald Krauss.
The study had 113 adults assigned to three random diets for a month. Those diets were either focused on lean cuts of beef, lean cuts of chicken or turkey, with others on plant proteins. Following the month trial, each participant was assigned a different diet and wound up trying out all three. Their blood was tested based on cholesterol levels.
Researchers determined that both red and white types of meat are equally as bad for you. They suggested trying to cut down on meats or eliminating them altogether and focus on plant-based proteins. Krauss recommended nonmeat proteins such as vegetables, dairy, and legumes.
“Our results indicate that current advice to restrict red meat and not white meat should not be based only on their effects on blood cholesterol,” Krauss said. “Indeed, other effects of red meat consumption could contribute to heart disease, and these effects should be explored in more detail in an effort to improve health.”
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