AnS 460 Extra Credit

1
Ground beef from grass-fed and grain-fed cattle
Does it matter?

• AnS 460 Extra Credit
• Alyssa Fitzpatrick

2
Background

• Research conducted by Stephen B. Smith, Ph.D.
• Regents Professor, Department of Animal Science,
  Texas AM University
• Published more than 180 scientific pork beef
  articles
• 2 research studies published
• Comparing risk factors for CVD and type II
  diabetes

3
Research

• Americans consume 40 of their total beef intake
  as ground beef
• Ground beef is an important source of oleic acid
• Grass-fed ground beef contains more omega-3 fatty
  acids than grain-fed ground beef, but it is
  higher in saturated and trans fat
• Premium ground beef is very high in oleic acid
  and much lower in saturated and trans-fat than
  from grass-fed cattle

4
Comparisons

• The most abundant omega-3 fatty acid in foods is
  a-linolenic acid (ALA)
• Daily reference intake 1.1 g for women 1.6 g
  for men
• ALA may slow the rate of cancer cell growth
  reduce risk factors for CVD
• Ground beef from grain-fed cattle increases
  HDL-cholesterol
• Grass feeding does not increase the amount of
  oleic acid
• Grass fed beef costs 2 more per pound on average

Omega-3 fattyacids Oleic acid Total saturatedand trans-fat
Ground beef fromgrass-fed (grazingon native Texaspasture) 0.055 grams 6.3 grams 9.8 grams
Ground beef fromgrain-fed cattle(fed a feedlotdiet containingprimarily cornand milo) 0.020 grams 8.3 grams 8.2 grams
5
Conclusion

• At this point, there is no scientific evidence to
  support the claims that ground beef from
  grass-fed cattle is a healthier alternative to
  ground beef from grain-fed cattle

6
Sources

• Stephen B. Smith, Ph.D. "Department of Animal
  Science." Ground Beef from Grass-fed and
  Grain-fed Cattle Does It Matter? . Texas AM
  University - Department of Animal Science, 7 Dec.
  2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. lthttp//animalscience.tam
  u.edu/2013/12/07/ground-beef-from-grass-fed-and-gr
  ain-fed-cattle-does-it-matter/gt.