Red Meat Good or Fad for Fat Loss?

Consumption of red meat has been associated with fat gain (and weight gain)
because of its high fat / calorie content. Even though the old idea that a high fat
intake causes body fat gain has been completely debunked in medical research [19], red meat still is a food thats on the forbidden or avoid list in most diet plans.
And for some reason, women tend to be especially afraid of eating meat
While there are studies showing an association between meat intake and obesity
[10-12], there are also studies not showing this [12-14]. And when digging deeper in
the data, many of the studies that did report a significant association with meat
intake and fat gain / obesity have several flaws that invalidate their conclusions.
Meat consumption and long term weight change
One of the latest and largest studies to date on the topic of red meat intake and
weight gain (which is a surrogate measure for fat gain in epidemiological studies),
concluded [15]:
Total meat consumption was positively associated with weight gain in men and
women, in normal-weight and overweight subjects, and in smokers and nonsmokers.
With adjustment for estimated energy intake, meat intake of 250 g/d (e.g. one steak
at approximately 450 kcal) would lead to a 2 kg higher weight gain after 5 years
compared to the same diet with less meat. Positive associations were observed for
red meat, poultry, and processed meat.
This is a pretty bold statement! However a closer look at the study methodology
and data reveals major weaknesses:
First; usual dietary intake was assessed only at baseline and not during the
subsequent years. It is well recognized that peoples food habits often change over
time. And it doesnt take a rocket scientist to understand that in order to track
changes over time, at least two measurements are required. And the baseline food
intake assessment was done with questionnaires, which are infamous for being
inaccurate [16-18]. Using a methodology that begs the question how bad is good
enough will obviously not provide very reliable data [17].

Second; in several centers, participants who consumed more meat actually had less
weight gain, whereas those with lower meat consumption had higher weight gain.
Despite this, and despite the very large number of participants (about 103,000 men
and 270,000 women), the researchers behind this study lumped them all together in
the statistical analysis. Also, the assessment of physical activity, which is strongly
related to food habits [19], was done via self-administered questionnaires, which do
not accurately reflect objective physical activity or fitness data [20, 21]. Therefore,
the adjustment for a possible influence of physical activity on the observed weight
change in this study doesnt strengthen its conclusions.
Third; the researchers reported an effect based on a combination of meat sources,
but their sub-group analyses indicate that after exclusion of participants with
chronic diseases and those likely to misreport energy intake at baseline, the
following was found:
- red meat is not the villain in the association of meat intake and weight gain.
- the association with poultry was attenuated.
- processed meats were the strongest predictor of weight gain.
This indicates that processing, or factors associated with consumption of processed
foods, are involved in the reported detrimental association between meat intake
and weight gain, rather than meat per see.
Fourth; and probably the most important shortcoming is that the observed weight
changes may be due to changes in either lean body tissue or fat mass or both [22].
Meat is a high-quality source of protein for building and maintaining lean body
mass. Consequently, the noted association between meat intake and weight change
may partly be due to gain of lean body mass in participants with high meat intake. It
is well known that dietary protein plays a major role in developing and maintaining
lean tissue mass in the body during growth in infancy, through adulthood while
dieting, and particularly in preventing loss of lean body tissue and sarcopenia in
elderly individuals over 50 years of age [23]. The loss of lean body mass is a
particular problem in individuals over 60 years of age. In older people, a higher
intake of high quality protein, such a red meat, helps to prevent loss of lean body
tissue, resulting in better muscle strength, bone density, and physical functioning
[24]. Thus, it is interesting that the association between meat intake and weight
gain was stronger in participants that were over 45 years of age. An alternative
interpretation of this finding is that the weight gain seen with higher intakes of red
meat is not fat gain, but lean mass gain. This interpretation of the results is

congruent with other studies showing that an increase in protein intake from meat
and other sources prevents body fat gain [25, 26], enhances diet induced fat loss
[27-30], and help with body weight (fat) control [26, 31].
Thus, studies that dont measure body composition dont tell anything about the
role of meat for body fat control. Because of all these methodological flaws, the
conclusion that a decrease in meat consumption is recommended for body weight
management and improvement of health is totally misleading!
Lean red meat (beef and veal) compared to white meat (poultry and fish)
White meat contains much less fat than red meat, and also less fat than lean red
meat, so intuitively it should be better for fat loss and body fat control than red
meat, right?! Not so fast
In a long-term study, two groups of subjects (including both men and women) were
instructed to eat 170 g (6 oz) of lean red meat or white meat per day, 5 to 7 days
per week [32]. This dietary change resulted in the following differences among the
two groups:
Caloric intake:
Lean red meat eaters: 1828 calories per day
White meat eaters: 1650 calories per day
Total fat intake:
Lean red meat eaters: 29.3 % of total energy
White meat eaters: 26.7 % of total energy
Thus, the lean red meat eaters consumed almost 200 calories (178 calories to be
exact) extra per day. No changes in physical activity were reported. However,
despite this, after 36 weeks (9 months), there were no differences in body weight
between the two groups [32]. Theoretically, since the energy content in 1 lb of body
fat is about 3,500 calories, this daily caloric excess of about 48,000 calories (178 x
30 x 9) should have resulted in a fat gain of almost 14 lb (48,060 / 3,500).[33, 34]
Even if the 3,500 calorie rule is an overestimation [33-35], an excess of 48,000
calories should be expected to result in at least some body fat gain.
This study, in contrast to the misleading one above, was well conducted and used
detailed food log records, which is the gold standard tool for estimating dietary

intakes [18, 36]. Thus, because a food contains more fat (and calories) doesnt
necessarily have to mean it will cause fat gain.
Lean beef compared to lean fish or poultry
Another study compared intake of beef with that of lean fish and poultry [37]. Three
groups of male subjects each rotated in a crossover design through 3 experimental
periods that lasted 26 d each. All the diets were planned to provide 2,800 calories
per day, of which 18% came from protein, 53% from carbohydrate, and 30% from
fat (polyunsaturated-to-monounsaturated-to-saturated fatty acid ratio: 1.0 : 1.1 :
1.0; 268 mg cholesterol/day; and 29 g fiber/day).
The 3 experimental diets had no differences in food composition with the exception
of the protein source tested, which was:
1. lean beef (lean ground beef, exterior round, sirloin tip)
2. skinless chicken and ground turkey
3. fish (pollock, cod, sole, and haddock)
69% of daily proteins came from beef, fish, or poultry, and the remaining was from
vegetable sources. This corresponded to about 400-500 g of the respective protein
foods.
Body weight was measured every 2 days. Subjects were informed that they had to
avoid alcohol consumption and that they should maintain the same activity level
throughout the study. They were also asked to consume nothing besides the
prepared meals they were given by the food lab. It was found that none of the
experimental periods resulted in any body weight differences [37]. That is, on isocaloric diets (i.e. constant energy intake), the protein source does not affect body
weight, meaning that there is nothing inherently bad with red meat for weight
control, which is a common misperception. This is supported by other studies [38,
39].
Red meat and dieting
There are conflicting recommendations regarding the appropriateness of red meat
versus white meat consumption as part of fat loss diets. An interesting study
examined changes in body weight in overweight women who followed an energy
restricted diet (500 calories per day less than usual) with lean beef or chicken as the
primary protein source, while participating in a fitness walking program. Body

weight, body composition (by hydrodensitometry), were measured at baseline and

after 12 wk.
The results showed a significant weight loss that was similar between the beef
group and the chicken group. Both groups showed significant reductions in body fat
percentage, with no significant differences between groups. This study
demonstrates that weight loss and fat loss can successfully be accomplished
through diet and exercise, regardless of whether the dietary protein source is lean
beef or chicken [40].
Summary
Well conducted studies show that red meat can be included in effective fat loss
diets, and that there is nothing inherently bad with red meat that would cause it
to interfere in body fat loss or maintenance. And hey girls, this applies to you as
well!
But doesnt red meat cause heart disease, diabetes and cancer? you may be
thinking. I covered this in depth in a previous article Red Meat and Health have
we been blaming the wrong thing?
As outlined in that article; as long as you dont overcook your steak, stay away from
processed meats, eat your daily veggies, and adjust your carb intake to your
physical activity level, you dont have to fear that your meat intake will harm your
health. And now you also know you can enjoy your steak without having to worry it
would detrimentally impact your fat loss efforts.
Also, make sure to check out Wills vid Red Meat, Muscle Building Magic?
This rounds up meat from all angles health, fat loss and muscle growth
VOILA!
Monica Mollica www.trainergize.com

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fat. Am J Med, 2002. 113 Suppl 9B: p. 47S-59S.

3.
Willett, W.C., Dietary fat plays a major role in obesity: no. Obes Rev, 2002.
3(2): p. 59-68.
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Bazzano, L.A., et al., Effects of low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets: a
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Tay, J., et al., A very low-carbohydrate, low-saturated fat diet for type 2
diabetes management: a randomized trial. Diabetes Care, 2014. 37(11): p. 2909-18.
6.
Schwingshackl, L. and G. Hoffmann, Comparison of effects of long-term
low-fat vs high-fat diets on blood lipid levels in overweight or obese patients: a
systematic review and meta-analysis. J Acad Nutr Diet, 2013. 113(12): p. 1640-61.
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Hu, T., et al., Effects of low-carbohydrate diets versus low-fat diets on
metabolic risk factors: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials. Am J
Epidemiol, 2012. 176 Suppl 7: p. S44-54.
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Hite, A.H., V.G. Berkowitz, and K. Berkowitz, Low-carbohydrate diet review:
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