The Role of Beef in the American Diet - International Meat Secretariat

The Role of Beef in the American Diet
Thus, of the total fatty acids in beef, only about one-third are cholesterol-raising
fatty acids.
Figure 3. Fatty acids in beef including stearic acid
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Recently, concerns have been raised about levels of trans fatty acids
in the diet. Trans fatty acids are unsaturated but, because of their unusual
chemical configuration, they raise levels of undesirable low-density
lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and lower levels of desirable high-density
lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. The National Academy of Sciences
(NAS) recently recommended that consumption of these fatty acids
should be kept as low as possible within the context of a nutritionally
adequate diet (31) because they have an undesirable effect on cholesterol
levels and no nutritional benefit. However, the NAS noted that
completely eliminating trans fatty acids from a typical person’s diet
would make it very difficult to meet other nutritional guidelines.
The principal source of trans fatty acids in the U.S. diet is hydrogenated
vegetable fats such as margarine, shortening, and foods that
contain them. The trans fatty acids are produced during the hydrogenation
process that transforms liquid oils into solid fats. Trans fatty acids
are also produced naturally by ruminant animals and therefore are present
in foods derived from those animals, including beef, lamb, and dairy
products. However, unlike the trans fatty acids in hydrogenated vegetable
fats, those in foods of animal origin are of little concern for two
reasons:
1. As shown in Table 4, the amount of trans fatty acids in beef and
other animal products is small in comparison with the amount in
foods made with hydrogenated vegetable fats.