There is Good News on Beef

Americans love beef but some media headlines have frightened consumers into thinking that only "white" meat is healthful. A new study from Penn State University researchers shows that lean beef when part of a heart healthy diet can lower total and low density lipoproteins (LDL or "bad" cholesterol) and even lower markers of inflammation. The key is choosing the leanest cuts of beef, paying attention to preparation in the kitchen and watching portion size. And that is good news for all of us who love beef.

The BOLD study (Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet) was conducted with adult men and women with elevated total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol (LDL levels ranged from 110 to 177 milligrams) with different diets prepared in a test kitchen (that means it was a well-controlled diet study). None of the study participants were on cholesterol-lowering medications. The diets studied included the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension) which contained only 1 ounce of beef a day and the BOLD and BOLD plus diets contained 4 and 5 ounces of lean beef, respectively.

Weight remained constant during the study (losing weight in itself can lower blood lipid levels so monitoring weight was a positive aspect of this study) and researchers found about a 5% reduction in LDL-cholesterol when the BOLD and BOLD plus diets were consumed, similar to the DASH diet. Researchers also noted that a marker of inflammation (CRP) was lower in those who had the highest levels of blood cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol.

The take away from this study is that lean beef can be part of a heart-healthy diet. While there are 29 cuts of lean beef that meet the criteria for lean meat, the study authors note that most grocery stores carry top loin and top round steak, top sirloin bottom round roast and 95% lean ground beef.

There is another good reason to include lean beef in your diet...a 4-ounce serving is an excellent source of the nutrients that are often low in the diets of the 50+ population: protein, B-vitamins niacin, B6 and B12 and minerals zinc and selenium. It is also a good source of choline, phosphorus, and iron. Beef is nutrient rich and many cuts of beef are 20% leaner than 15 years ago, according to the USDA.

It is important to keep portions moderate (4-5 ounces). Good ways to incorporate lean beef in your diet is by making kabobs with plenty of veggies, slicing lean grilled meat over a salad, and whipping up a stir-fry dish. Lean ground beef can be used as patties, meatloaf, and meatballs or as pizza topping or in pasta sauces. To further reduce the fat in ground beef, check out these tips at http://www.beefnutrition.org/cmdocs/beefnutrition/reducingfatincookedgroundbeef.pdf

Forty ng/mL? That is the level of vitamin D (also called serum 25(OH)D3) in my blood but what does it mean? Vitamin D is one of the most talked about nutrients and for good reason--along with calcium it is critical for building and maintaining healthy bones, but vitamin D is also one of the most confusing vitamins. We can get vitamin D three different ways:

• through foods (although very few foods are good, natural sources)
• through supplements (although it comes in different forms and researchers aren't always consistent in their advice about which form is best)
• through sunshine or the ultraviolet rays from the sun to be more precise (but SPF 8 or greater, heavy cloud cover, skin color, aging, and even the angle of the sun in winter blocks vitamin D from being made in sufficient amounts)

So what is an over-50 year old adult to do?

First, choose foods that contain vitamin D or foods that are fortified with vitamin D: salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines are good sources because fatty fish contain this fat-soluble vitamin. Mushrooms (they are being exposed to ultraviolet light to make them good sources), milk, some but not all yogurts (read the label), many breakfast cereals and orange juice contain vitamin D. A recent study found that half of vitamin D intake comes from milk so that is a good place to start.

Second, consider supplementation; you might be getting some in your multi-vitamin and most contain 400 IU (IU stands for international units, the measure used in supplements). Vitamin D comes in two forms--D2 and D3 and most, but not all, experts recommend the D3 form because early research showed that D3 is more effective at raising vitamin D blood levels than D2. However, some research shows that both forms are effective at improving blood levels.

Third, consider getting some sensible sun--10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure twice a week can improve vitamin D levels. This recommendations is controversial because UV rays from the sun or tanning beds are tied to the million of skin cancer diagnoses each year.

Which leads us back to that 40 ng/mL blood level--is that good or bad? According to the lab report 40 is a healthy level, but trending more toward the insufficient end of the range. A controversial article in an international osteoporosis journal suggests that older adults need 800 to 1000 IU of vitamin D each day to reach the maximal blood levels of vitamin D.

Next time you go to the doctor and have blood drawn, ask for a vitamin D level--in the meantime, increase your intake of vitamin D from foods and if you supplement, look at the supplement label to determine how much vitamin D your supplement provides.

For more information check out Dr. Michael Holick's website http://www.vitamindhealth.org/ or his new book, The Vitamin D Solution.