Nutrition & Japanese Beef

Beef is contentious, as it is a red meat (pork, lamb, veal, beef) and the scientific recommendation is to limit red meats. For example, the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic recommends limiting red meat to one to two meals a week, to about 170 grams in total ⁽¹⁾ The World Cancer Research Fund International is more lenient, recommending per week a limit of three (larger) portions, to about 350 to 500 grams in total ⁽²⁾ The U.K. NHS recommends a daily limit of 70 grams (equivalent to 490 grams a week). ⁽³⁾

If you are eating red meat, this still leaves room for choices. Beef is essentially protein with varying quantities of fat. We recommend considering Japanese beef for its relatively superior fat profile.

Wagyu is a Japanese word that means “Japanese beef”. However, the word has passed into more global usage, and is now also used as follows. Wagyu cattle includes four Japanese breeds; Black, Brown, Shorthorn, and Polled. Today, the renowned brand name Wagyu includes not only cattle produced in Japan, but also cattle produced in countries such as Australia and the United States. ⁽⁴⁾

Importantly, the Wagyu breed produces carcass lipids containing relatively higher concentrations of mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). ^{(5, 6, 7)} These are otherwise known as “good” fat and act to lower cholesterol. ^{(8, 9, 10)} The human body uses MUFA for energy and cell growth.

Fat has been reported as having fewer adverse effects on health than carbohydrates, especially simple carbohydrates. ^{(4, 11)}

For more details please see the paper here.

References

1. Is Red Meat Bad for You? by Cleveland Clinic: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-red-meat-bad-for-you/
2. Limit Red and Processed Meat, by The World Cancer Research Fund International: https://www.wcrf.org/diet-activity-and-cancer/cancer-prevention-recommendations/limit-red-and-processed-meat/#:~:text=Dietary%20goal,%2C%20if%20any%2C%20processed%20meat.
3. Meat in your Diet, by the NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/meat-nutrition/
4. The Japanese Wagyu Beef Industry: current situation and future prospects — A review, by Takafumi Gotoh, Takanori Nishimura,Keigo Kuchida, and Hideyuki Mannen, June 2018
5. Effect of breed type and sex on the fatty acid composition of subcutaneous and intramuscular lipids of finishing steers and heifers, by Zembayashi M, Nishimura K, Lunt DK, Smith SB., 1995
6. Fatty acid composition of subcutaneous and intramuscular adipose tissues and M. longissimus dorsi of Wagyu cattle, by Sturdivant CA, Lunt DK, Smith GC, Smith SB., 1992
7. Relationship between myofiber type and fatty acid composition in skeletal muscles of Wagyu (Japanese Black) and Holstein cattle, by Gotoh T, Olavanh S, Shiota M, et al., 2011
8. Role of beef and beef tallow, an enriched source of stearic acid, in a cholesterol-lowering diet, by M A Denke, 1994
9. Incorporation of lean red meat into a National Cholesterol Education Program Step I diet: a long-term, randomized clinical trial in free-living persons with hypercholesterolemia, by D B Hunninghake 1, K C Maki, P O Kwiterovich Jr, M H Davidson, M R Dicklin, S D Kafonek, 2000
10. Cholesterol-lowering effect of a low-fat diet containing lean beef is reversed by the addition of beef fat, by K O’Dea 1, K Traianedes, K Chisholm, H Leyden, A J Sinclair, 1990
11. Effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factors in overweight adolescents, by Sondik SB, Copperman N, Jacobson MS., 2003