Why Grass-Fed Meat & Animal Products Are Superior

(This is a beta post and is being updated)

It is commonly accepted within science and in pharmacology that red meats are harmful by increasing risk of cardiovascular diseases and other issues [1]. However, the idea that red meats are inherently bad for CVD is misrepresenting an issue: meat quality.

What animals consume is very important to the quality of their meat and derived products (such as milk & eggs).

Cows for example, are commonly fed corn, soy, oats, and barley. In fact, almost 80% of the world's soybean crop is fed to livestock [2]. Additionally, oils are included in animal diets, such as Canola Oil or Canola Meal and similar products.

If you thought all cows are fed grass, think again. Organic and locally grown grassfed beef remains small at less than 1% of the U.S. beef calf crop.

Organic does not necessarily mean animals were raised and finished on pasture. According to the USDA, the requirement is for cattle to have free access to certified-organic pasture for the entire grazing season (at least 120 days), while only 30% of the cattle's diet needs to come from pasture. To further complicate the matter, grass-fed also does not necessarily mean animals were raised on pasture without confinement. Even the term “grass-fed” can mean animals were fed grass pellets in a feedlot-type production model or were grazing monoculture grasses. [6]

Grass-fed meat really needs to be 100% Pasture-Raised to be nutritionally different.

This is normally seen as fine and standard practice, but when livestock are grass-fed vs grain-fed, the health profile of the meat changes significantly, questioning the commonly supported opinion that "red meat is unhealthy".

Modern industrialised meat production (defined by higher stocking rates and breeding for rapid growth) requires higher proportions of concentrate feed, to allow for quick turnover to slaughter-weight of prime animals. However, livestock digestion remains most suited to forage-based diets and the nutritional quality of meat is impacted by animal nutrition. [4]

Nutritional Differences in Grass-Fed Meat

One of the first results that appear if you look into the differences in grass-fed meat is the difference in omega-3 levels. While grass-fed have over 4x omega-3 [6], it is multiple times less than fish sources (such as salmon) or supplementation, so it is a less relevant factor. One factor that may be more relevant however is that grass-fed meat contains less omega-6 [5][6], meaning the omega-3/6 ratio is improved.

Some sources such as Healthline (Video) use the omega-3 difference as the only factor when comparing grass-fed meat to grain. It is misrepresentative of the many other differences and it is at minimum ignorant and at most manipulative.

The main factors that contribute to the nutritional differences for grass-fed are amino acids, polyphenols, antioxidants, AGEs, Histamine, & other factors.

One thing to mention first is that grass-fed meat nearly always contains less fat than the grain-fed counterpart (about half normally). This needs to be taken into account when comparing fatty acid differences.

Within the nutrient class of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), the fatty acids arachidonic acid (ARA, C20:4, ω-6) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6, ω-3) were found exclusively (DHA) or in greater quantities (ARA) in grass-fed beef samples. [12]

The reason grass-fed Beef and Lamb are the main study in this post is because they are ideal over alternatives for many reasons, in general they provide the total nutritional value that is desired and have the best holistic health impact of nearly any meat type. They also have lower histamine than other types of meat [17].

Phytochemical Differences

Here is a non-complete list of the phytochemical differences grass-fed meat/dairy has compared to grain-fed.

Lamb Fat (Diverse Pasture) [6]

• ↑ β-Caryophyllene (anti-inflammatory)
• ↑ β-Cubebene (anti-viral, anti-carciogenic)
• ↑ zonarene (anti-viral, anti-carciogenic)
• Increase in other terpenes

Beef Fat (Orchard Grass) [9]

• ↑ Azulene (anti-inflammatory)
• ↑ 1,2-Phetene (anti-inflammatory)
• ↑ Phytane (anti-inflammatory)
• ↑ Phytol (anti-oxidant)
• Increase in three other terpenes

Goat Cheese (Diversified Shrubland) [10]

• ↑ 100% More Caffeic Acid (anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-carciogenic)
• ↑ Quercetin (anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-carciogenic)
• ↑ 13-fold total polyphenol content

Yak Meat (Diverse Pasture) [6]

• ↑ 1.5-fold total phenols

Antioxidant Differences In Various Grass-Fed Products

Derived from [6].

• ↑ ~1-4x increases in Superoxide Dismutase (SOD)
• ↑ ~1.5-2x ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid))
• ↑ ~1.5x DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl)
• ↑ ~1.8x Glutathione
• ↑ ~2.5x ORAC
• Other antioxidant increases

Taken together, these data suggest that pasture-raising and finishing is beneficial for both the health of the animal and its meat and milk products. [6]

Grass-fed Beef also has much lower lipid oxidation and protein oxidation (around 2-3x less) [18].

Nutritional Differences Due to Botanical Diversity

Amongst pasture-based systems, greater botanical diversity of forage generally results in higher terpenoid concentrations in meat and milk. For example, goats grazing a wide variety grasses, legumes, and forbs concentrated 5-fold more terpenoids in their milk compared to goats consuming a limited number of grasses (alfalfa, perennial rye grass, and orchard grass).

Intentionally growing a variety of grasses in a grazing area will very likely increase the polyphenol and amino acid profile of the meat of animals, and it may be a novel way to create an even better quality of meat. Doing this however would need direct access to a farmer/farm, so for most people this is not attainable.

Human Health Impact

Gilmore et al. [11] found that consumption of 113g of beef, 5 times per week for 5-weeks, from cattle raised on non-diverse pasture (coastal Bermuda grass) or grain-finished in feedlots does not differentially impact inflammatory profiles (Gilmore et al., 2011).

In the study, consumption of pasture-raised beef decreased LDL-c compared to corn-fed, and it also only slightly effected HDL-C compared to corn-fed.

Due to the low requirement in the US for what constitutes "Organic" or "Grass-Fed" meat, interpreting the results of studies can be annoying. Studies which should be considered more are ones which describe the specific pasture botanics.

Cooking Methodology

The method of cooking used for meat products (other products as well, but meat especially), effects the health profile and nutrition when absorbed in the body.

Raw lamb & beef is the most ideal nutrition-wise, however due to potential quality issues, it is generally not that recommended unless you can properly verify the quality of your sources. Raw (non-grass-fed) beef & lamb average AGE (Advanced Glycation End-products) around 700-800 AGE kU/100g [13], which is actually lower than avacados or olives.

AGEs are negatively correlate to health, with increased amounts being related to inflammation, oxidative stress, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease and other conditions [15].

If you want to cook your meat, the best method of cooking for low AGEs in meat is probably on low heat, and cooked relatively slowly. Either stewed or minced & cooked on low heat are the most attractive options. Cooking this way also likely lowers Histamine content [17], which is desired. "Aged" Meat should be avoided also due to histamine being increased. Broiled, grilled and charred should be avoided if you care about health.

Also, it should be noted that grass-fed meat has lower levels of AGEs anyways, though the cooking methodology is likely more significant in the end amount absorbed into the body.

Grass-fed animals also had lower levels of homocysteine, triglycerides, and advanced glycation end products, all of which are associated with improved cardiovascular health, both for the animal and humans. [16]

One additional note is that minced meat may improve nutritional value compared to other forms as demonstrated in one study [14].

Also, if you eat eggs, scrambled or boiled is most likely the best preperation option as AGEs are lower [13].

The Failure of 'Meat Alternatives'

While plant-based meat alternatives are pushed as a new thing to try to get people to eat less meat products, the truth is that they differ hugely from actual meat.

The plant-based meat alternative and grass-fed, beef studied in our work, have largely similar Nutrition Facts panels and may appear nutritionally interchangeable to consumers. Despite these apparent similarities based on Nutrition Facts panels, our metabolomics analysis found that metabolite abundance between the plant-based meat alternative and grass-fed ground beef differed by 90% (171 out of 190 profiled metabolites; p < 0.05). Substantial differences in metabolites within various classes (e.g., amino acids, dipeptides, vitamins, phenols, tocopherols, odd-chain saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants) indicate that these products should not be viewed as nutritionally interchangeable. [12]

While plant-based meat alternatives may contain some polyphenols, they lack a large amounts of the constituents of meat products and aren't interchangable.

Summary

The studies on the health differences with grass-fed meat products and dairy are much more limited in comparison with grain-fed, however it is apparent that the nutritional profile of grass-fed products is significantly different compared to grain, and it requires more investigation.

The findings signify that grass-fed beef could exert protective effects against a number of diseases ranging from cancer to cardiovascular disease (CVD) as evidenced by the increased functional omega-3 PUFA and decreased undesirable SFA. [5]

The literature review and analysis of predicted fatty acid intakes based on recorded/recommended meat intakes and the RDI for the different FAs and FA groups demonstrate that the average consumer would receive more of the beneficial fatty acids for human health through consumption of pasture-based beef, produced either organically or conventionally. [6]

Based on the current information, consumption of grass-fed meat is encouraged compared to "standard". Finding a local butcher/farmer which you can trust for meat quality is likely better than from a big supermarket/shop.

Thank you for reading.

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If you are interested in UV's writeup on seed oils, check it out below.