Why Eat Grass-Fed Beef?

The diet of cattle directly influences the nutrient composition and fat content of beef. Conventional beef cattle often consume grains like corn, while grass-fed cattle rely solely on forage. According to the Mayo Clinic, "when compared with other types of beef, grass-fed beef may have some heart-health benefits," including:

Lower total fat content
Higher levels of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids
Increased omega-6 fatty acid (linolenic acid)
More antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin E

Grass-fed beef is scientifically proven to be the healthier choice. Omega-3 fatty acids play a vital role in heart and brain function, and research confirms that grass-fed beef contains higher amounts of very-long-chain fatty acids—linked to a reduced risk of heart disease.

Additionally, grass-fed cattle exhibit lower levels of homocysteine, triglycerides, and advanced glycation end products, all of which contribute to improved cardiovascular health for both the animals and those who consume their meat.

Higher Levels of Many Phytochemicals

Benefits of phytochemicals (Phytonutrients) include:

Anti-inflammatory/antioxidant effects in cells
Scavenging reactive or toxic chemicals
Enhancing the absorption and or stability of essential nutrients
Acting as selective growth factors for beneficial gastrointestinal bacteria
Representing substrates for beneficial oral, gastric or intestinal bacteria
Selectively inhibiting deleterious intestinal bacteria
Phytonutrients also play a role in preventing and managing chronic diseases, such as cancer, coronary heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, inflammation, microbial, viral and parasitic infections, and neurological disease.

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Vitamin Benefits

Alpha-tocopherol is three times higher in grass-fed vs grain-fed beef meat. Tocopherols are vitamin E precursors best known for their anti-oxidative effects. Similar to carotenoids, tocopherols protect against cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, brain function decline, and reduced eye-sight.

Ascorbate (vitamin C) compounds were 1.5 times higher in the grass-fed beef compared to grain-fed beef. Even though meat is not a great source of Vitamin C, higher concentrations in meat have been found to improve shelf stability and quality of the meat

The B Vitamins (B3, B5, B6) are typically 2-3 times higher in grass-fed beef due to the active grazing of growing forages. However, these vitamins can be added to grain-fed rations to raise their levels in the meat. This is not necessary in grass-fed diets. Niacin (a form of Vitamin B3) was nine times higher in the grass-fed beef compared to the grain-fed beef. Niacin promotes a healthy nervous system, digestive system, and skin.

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Increase in Long-Chain Saturated Fatty Acids

Just as with the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), long-chain saturated fatty acids were enriched in grass-fed meat. Even though saturated fat is usually considered detrimental for heart health, long-chain saturated fatty acids such arachidate, behenate, and nonadecanoate are associated with a decreased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. These fatty acids were 2-3 times higher in grass-fed beef, and are considered beneficial (Lemaitre & King, 2022).

Caprate and lauric acids are saturated fatty acids that have potential antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties. Caprate and laurate were 1.5 -1.7 times higher in grass-fed beef. Additionally, long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids were 2-4 times higher in the grass-fed beef. Long-chain monounsaturated fats are considered beneficial for health.

Importantly, Triacylglycerol (TAGs) were found to be lower in grass-fed meat, while long-chain acyl carnitines were higher. Lower TAGs, coupled with higher acyl carnitines, are associated with improved heart health. The risk of heart disease can also be related to the content fatty acyl glycerol and carnitine content of the meat. Fat stored in muscle tissue can serve as a major fuel for skeletal muscles at rest and during physical activity. Intramuscular fat stores also influence the palatability of meat. Within beef samples, TAG metabolites were significantly reduced in grass-fed beef compared to grain-fed samples (Figure 7) and long-chain acyl carnitines were elevated. In humans, lower TAGs (Nordestgaard & Varbo, 2014) and higher long-chain acyl carnitines (Bhupathiraju et al., 2018) are associated with improved cardiovascular health.

Higher Levels of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential to humans and cannot be made in our bodies, so we must consume these in our diets. Grass-fed meat often exhibits a better omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (usually below 3:1) and helps with reduced risk of heart disease (van Vliet et al., 2021). The omega-3 fatty acids serve as precursors for the synthesis of anti-inflammatory mediators, while omega-6 fatty acids are important precursors for pro-inflammatory lipid mediators. omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation while excess amounts of omega-6 fatty acids promote inflammation.

The grass-fed beef had higher amounts two key omega-3 fatty acid metabolites, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). The EPA was almost 10 times higher in grass-fed beef, while DHA was three times higher. Significant benefits include anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. They also lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, and liver diseases, along with improved brain function (Swanson et al., 2012). Additionally, linolenic acid (alpha/gamma) was 10 times higher in the grass-fed beef. This particular omega-3 fatty acid is concentrated in plants and associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and important for brain health (Rajaram, 2014).

Grass-fed beef contains 2-4 times the Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) compared to grain-fed beef. CLA is an essential fatty acid that has powerful anti-cancer and anti-obesity properties. For athletes, it is a critical fatty acid for the promotion of muscle gain and fat loss. Other benefits of CLA include improvement in strength, promotion of strong bones, improved growth and development, and aids in digestion.