Could Wagyu beef protect against heart disease?

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

As barbecue season gets into full swing, New Zealand researchers are investigating whether certain kinds of red meat could actually protect against heart disease.

Researchers have recruited men aged 35-55 willing to eat free meat three times a week for eight weeks in the name of science.

Participants are supplied with either grass-fed Wagyu beef, grain-finished beef or a soy-based meat alternative (they can’t choose which).

The study is looking at how the complex lipids (fats) in high quality, unprocessed red meat affect heart health, using the vegetarian protein group as a control. It follows earlier evidence that eating Wagyu beef in moderation may help protect against heart disease.

The beef, from specially bred and fed cows, is rich in a fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and several other so-called ‘‘good fats’’.

Study lead Professor David Cameron-Smith, from the University of Auckland-based Liggins Institute, says red meat is an excellent source of protein and rich in vitamins and minerals, such as iron, but has been linked to an increased risk for heart disease and colon cancer.

Almost all of the evidence for those links comes from large epidemiological studies, which involve identifying associations between people’s self-reported diet and their health status years later.

“The trouble is, it’s hard to tell whether these associations are linked to meat, or other diet and lifestyle factors,” says Prof Cameron-Smith.

“Another issue is that many studies do not separate out the effects of fresh and preserved, or processed, red meat.

“The link to colon cancer is clear for processed meat.

‘‘But very few scientific studies — this is the first in New Zealand — have extended this research to actually piece together whether a modest intake of good quality, fresh red meat has any positive or negative impacts on health.”

The researchers recruited participants who are on the heavy side with slightly high cholesterol who consume red meat in their regular diet. Before and after going on the diet, they visit the Institute to give blood, urine and stool samples.

Researchers will analyse these samples to look for changes in health indicators such as blood lipids, including cholesterol, and changes in body fat composition, and check for gut microbiome changes, where they expect to see clear differences between the red meat and vegetarian groups. — NZME